


shackle her from wrist to wrist (with sterling silver bracelets)

by cpn_hydra



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dark, Dark!Bucky, Dark!Steve, Emotional Manipulation, F/M, I wrote this instead of my assignment, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Relationship(s), The reader goes through it, Writing this essentially as a form of escapism, dark au, this isn't a nice fic but it's escapism but pls don't judge me
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-08
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:48:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 7
Words: 28,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22167049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cpn_hydra/pseuds/cpn_hydra
Summary: Four years ago, you entered a loving relationship with Steve Rogers. Three years ago, you faked your death to escape when things started to turn dark. Now, he’s found you and he’s not going to let you go.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Reader, James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers/Reader, Steve Rogers/Reader
Comments: 116
Kudos: 483





	1. The Reunion

**Author's Note:**

> As the tags say, this is dark!fic. Steve and Bucky are darker than they are in canon, and things won't be pretty. Proceed with caution as there will be non-con elements.
> 
> Cross-posted on tumblr because tumblr hates me and flagged my blog. Please comment if you enjoy, comments feed my soul

Steve couldn't believe his eyes. There was no chance that was he was seeing was true, how could it be? You were dead, gone from his bed, from his _life_. He had killed for you, mourned for you, buried an empty casket in your honour. It had been three long years without you but he could remember the distinct way his heart began to race in your presence, a feeling like no other washing over him as if he was in the presence of the most precious creature in the world. It was unmistakeable.

There you were, in the one place he had made you swear never to go back to, in the flesh. You looked just as demure as ever, somehow retaining the look of innocence that had drawn him to you in such a sinful place the first time. How could it be that you were alive after all these years? When he heard your name being called, ears finely attuned to the sound, there was no denying it.

Steve kept to the shadows, sure that you wouldn’t see him in the crowded room, busy as you were, serving behind the bar. He supposed he had to be thankful that at least you were modestly dressed, not demeaning yourself on the stage or on a stranger’s lap like the other girls were. No, you were a good girl. You had saved yourself for him the first time, he was sure that you still were.

At least, you _were _a good girl. Steve couldn’t be so sure now. He watched you just like he did that first night four years ago, you looked nearly the same, your hair tucked into a neat bun at the nape of your neck, your make-up minimal yet sultry, muscles tense. Your muscles had always been tense, but they wouldn’t be once you were back with Steve, where he could look after you and keep you safe and secure.

After the confusion, shock and utter _glee _of finding you alive wore off, rage began to creep over Steve. How could you fake your death and return to your old life as if he had made no imprint on your life at all? How could you act as if you didn’t miss him every waking second like he had missed you with every fibre of his being for three excruciatingly long years? Had he not done enough to keep you happy? He gave you everything you could have ever wanted, how could it not be enough?

Steve was certain that if there was not already a red glow cast around the room, he would be seeing red. How could you do that to him and act as if it was nothing? Steve knew that he would punish you accordingly, but his heart ached at the thought of you in pain. You tugged at his heart strings in a way only one other ever had. He could be angry, but he knew it wouldn’t last forever. Not now that the two of you had a chance to start over.

His fingers grappled for the phone in his pocket and hardly taking his eyes from you, he pressed call and raised his phone to his ear. “Buck,” he said, voice low, “I found her. She’s alive.”

***

There was a reason you had run from him and faked your death. You knew that if you didn’t he would come after you and never let you go from his warm, loving and _suffocating_ embrace. The moment he started to disregard your opinions because he ‘knew better’ was the moment you knew that you had to get out.

You’d met him for the first time when Bucky had just gone under the ice. He was angry, emotional and in need of companionship. You had filled that hole for him and for the first time in a while you were happy. He was ever the gentleman you had expected him to be, pulling your chair out for you on dates, insisting that he pay for the meal, bringing you flowers. You hadn’t thought twice when any of the red flags came up.

It was when he started to demand that you leave your job, insisting that he could provide for you, that you should have become wary. However you hated that job so much that you barely hesitated when he offered for you live in his apartment with him. From then on, it wasn’t long before Steve began to take control of every facet of your life. You didn’t leave the house without him because you didn’t have any reason to. Everything was provided for you in Steve’s flat and since settling in Brooklyn, the closest thing to a friend you had made was the pimp at the gentleman’s club you worked at.

You knew it was a risky thing to do, returning to the same club after you left him but you hoped that he wouldn’t return, that hiding in plain sight was the easiest thing to do with your means. You couldn’t take anything that you owned from his apartment before you faked your death or else he would get suspicious, so all of your assets were left in his possession and you were nearly penniless. You couldn’t go far, the only thing you had to keep you going was a debit card that you hoped he wouldn’t notice was gone from your purse. You hadn’t used it in months because he had given you a credit card of his own to use. You had enough money left on your card for one month’s rent and a week’s worth of food shopping. You had very little choice but to return to your old job and hope that he wouldn’t find you again.

And things had been going _so well _for three whole years. Theo, the pimp, had always taken a liking to you and compromised that you would only work behind the bar as long as you didn’t have a share in the tips that the other girls did. Even so, the men who came to the club were so wealthy that Theo could afford to pay all of his girls high salaries. You earned more working there than you would’ve from any standard bar job in the area. You’d grown too comfortable, despite your circumstances.

It was your day off and you were in the park on a run. Cooped up in the city, a breath of nature was well longed for. You had always preferred the country to crowded cities and you felt more at peace when surrounded by nature. Steve had known this so he had filled the apartment with various succulents and house plants, but it did little to quell the suffocation you had felt towards the end of your relationship.

You were so engrossed in the feeling of being outdoors and the music blasting out from your headphones that you hardly noticed when someone stepped into your path. You ran straight into the person, headphones clattering to the concrete path behind you as you collided with a large and warm body.

“Easy doll, you okay?” his voice was deep and comforting to your ears and his large hands clasped around your arms to keep you from falling backwards, one of them strangely cool.

“Shit!” you swore. You always got a childish rush from swearing since Steve had been so against you doing so. You wondered if he wasn’t slightly chauvinistic and slightly too traditionalist, having not fully adjusted to the different social norms and customs of the new era. He’d said once that he’d have to wash your mouth out with soap if you continued to swear and you had laughed it off until you saw the dark look he had fixed you with.

“I’m so sorry!” you apologised profusely, cheeks burning. You raised your eyes to see the face of the man who you had just run into and your blood ran cold.

“You okay there, doll?” his hands didn’t leave your arms even as you attempted to pull back. “It’s alright, really. It’s my fault, I should have been looking where I was going.” His face split into a charming smile which, against your better judgement, sent a thrill through you. He looked behind you and his face fell suddenly and he pouted, “Shit, I broke your headphones.” He released one of your arms as he fished for his phone, “What’s your number, doll? It’s the least I can do to buy you a new pair.”

You were so flustered and shocked that you could barely comprehend what was happening. Your eyes flickered around either side of him in search of the blond head of hair you had been dreading to see.

“Doll?” his eyes were on you, pinning you to the spot. You couldn’t help the thrill of excitement that you felt when he called you that, but it was undercut by the fact that you knew that if he was here then Steve wasn’t far away. Still, you had to calm yourself. Perhaps he didn’t know who you were. Maybe Steve hadn’t shown him a photo. All you could do was hope.

“No, no, it’s alright. They weren’t expensive, it was about time that I bought myself a new pair. It’s fine, really,” you assured him. They were expensive, actually, but you wanted to get away from him as soon as you could.

“I insist,” he came across as so charming and gentlemanly, but you couldn’t know his intentions. Was it simple chance that Steve’s oldest and closest friend had run into you, or was it engineered by the two of them? You had to keep yourself from hyperventilating at the thought that your ruse was up and that Steve had discovered the truth.

“_Please,_” Bucky offered his phone to you and even though your entire body screamed at you to refuse and turn and run as fast as you could, you had to keep your cool and think rationally. It didn’t help that the thought of going against him didn’t sit well with you, you simply didn’t _want _to, as much as you knew you should.

With hesitation, you eventually took his phone and entered your number. He watched you with sparkling eyes, practically beaming. Steve had told him that it wouldn’t be hard to get you to trust him as you had always been very trusting by nature. Bucky came out of the ice just at the time you faked your death. He was there for Steve throughout the carnage that ensued and was by his side throughout the small memorial service that had been held for you. He had no doubt that you deserved everything Steve would give you for making him go through that, but seeing the way Steve’s eyes lit up when he talked of the life the three of you could have now that things were different gave him immeasurable joy. Bucky knew without a doubt that if he had met you in the 40s then he would have swept you off of your feet like the many other dames he did, and if he had met you when Steve had then he wouldn’t have been able to resist you. You were perfect for them. He could see that in the way you responded to him, your demure attitude a stark contrast to their domineering personalities.

You handed his phone back to him and he didn’t miss the fake name you had used as the contact. “I’ll text you,” he slid his phone into his pocket, “I’m very sorry, doll. I gotta run, but I’ll contact you and we can get you some new headphones, yeah?” You nodded and he grinned. He wished you goodbye before taking his leave, and you just stood there exactly where he had left you, frozen in shock.

What the fuck had just happened?

***

True to his word, Bucky had messaged you and offered either to take you to a shop so that you could choose your own headphones or for you to find one online that you liked and he would send it to your address. Neither option would help your anonymity so you chose to ignore him, hoping that he would get the message and leave you be. You didn’t know for sure if Steve had put him up to this, but even if he hadn’t, Bucky was a killer. Sure, Steve would defend him to the ends of the earth, but it didn’t change the fact that he was a known assassin and that made you wary, no matter how nice he was. Captain America wasn’t as nice as you’d thought he was.

When you returned to your flat, the sun had set. You made a thorough search for any sign of intrusion. When you found none, you relaxed slightly. You had half expected to see Steve sitting in your armchair, watching you with dark eyes. You knew that he would be out for vengeance and, frankly, you were _terrified_.

When you were satisfied that you were alone, you headed to your ensuite bathroom to shower off after your run. You turned the heat up as much as you could without burning your skin, scrubbing it until it was red. All you knew was the warm cascade of water and once again, you failed to notice what was going on around you.

You turned the shower off and stepped into the frigid air, wrapping a fluffy towel around your body. You walked into your room, skin dripping with beads of water, and headed to your wardrobe. You stopped in your tracks when you saw a small box on the edge of your bed, the towel nearly slipping from your grip in horror.

Tentatively, you took the box into your hands. Your heart was racing so fast that you could hear hammering in your ears. Slowly, you lifted the lid. You gasped in terror as you saw what was inside, covering your mouth with your hand as you cried, the towel miraculously staying on your body.

“Do you remember when I bought that for you, baby?” a warm body pressed against your back. His voice sent a tremor through your body and your chin wobbled. You clenched your eyes shut as he brought his hands around your body and took the necklace from the box. “It was our first Christmas together, you looked so beautiful that day.” His hands brushed delicately against your neck as he secured the solid gold necklace around your neck. One hand came around to toy with the diamond pendant resting on your chest and the other on your waist. His lips lowered to your ear, “You’ve been a _very bad girl_.”

You couldn’t hold the sob back any longer. It racked violently through your body and tears ran in streams down your cheeks. “S-s-steve, _please_,” you hiccuped, “I’m sorry.” _I had to leave_.

“Oh, I’m sure you are baby, it’s alright,” the hand resting on your waist moving to smooth your hair down as he placed a soft kiss on your jaw, wet from the tears. The towel slipped and your hands rushed to keep it in place but he used a strong arm to circle your waist and hold your arms firmly to your sides. The towel slipped down your body so that it only covered your lower half, the bare skin of your chest exposed to the cold air surrounding you.

Your nipples pebbled from the cold, growing stiff. Your entire body tensed as he cupped one of your breasts in his large, warm hand. “Oh how I’ve missed this,” he mumbled into your neck, placing kisses along the arch, “I’ve missed you so much, baby. I’m so glad you’re alive.” When you finally let your hands hang limply at either side of your body, Steve removed his arm and placed it on your lower abdomen. Your cheeks burned with embarrassment as you clenched your thighs, squirming slightly. “You’ve lost weight, baby. You told me that you wouldn’t go back to that forsaken club. You broke your promise.”

You didn’t respond. You didn’t owe him an apology, you didn’t owe him anything. He tapped your cheek, not hard enough to cause pain but enough to startle you. “It’s polite to respond, doll.” You couldn’t do it though. Anything that you had to say to you knew he would dismiss. You couldn’t tell him what he wanted to hear. Steve grew agitated and his hand gripped your jaw harshly, “Answers, doll.”

You lasted for a few moments before the increasing pressure was too much, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” you gasped. He didn’t let go of your jaw.

“What for?” his voice was darker than before. His other hand tweaked your nipple harshly when you hesitated to respond.

“For breaking my promise,” you shut your eyes, ashamed of yourself for giving into him so easily.

He tweaked your other nipple, causing you to inhale sharply. “And?”

“And for leaving!” you gasped as he squeezed the supple flesh of your breast and let go of your chin. “I’m sorry, Steve,” you sobbed, desperate to pull the towel back around yourself.

“Good girl,” he praised, hand petting your hair again and pulling your head back into his chest. You couldn’t help the way that your insides fluttered at his words. He felt his trousers tighten at your response to him, you had always had difficultly in disobeying him. “It’ll take some time,” he rested his chin on the crown of your head as you continued to cry, “but eventually things will be back to normal, I promise. We can start again, just like how it was before. We’ll be happy.” He chose to leave out the part that involved Bucky for now, best not to scare you if he could avoid it.

“Steve, please, I can’t,” you begged between hiccups, “I have a life!” Sub-consciously you pushed your head further into his chest.

“Working at that club?” his voice darkened, “No, you had no life there. You’re safe now, you don’t need to worry about a thing, doll.” His words did nothing to calm and you began to panic, trying to remove yourself from his arms and swinging your legs when he grasped you tightly around the waist. Steve sighed, knowing that this would happen. It was only natural for you to be alarmed, it would take a while for you to realise that you didn’t have to be.

He turned his head and nodded at the figure that had been watching from the corner. Bucky emerged from the shadows and as you frantically looked around the room, your panic heightened as you saw his face. All of your fears had been right. You suddenly became aware of your complete nudity, the towel having fallen to the floor in your struggle, and you struggled even more, trying to reach the towel to shield yourself.

“Easy, doll,” he repeated the first words he had said to you as he came round to your front. He held his hands up to show that he meant you no harm, but it did nothing to quell your anxiety. You were entirely at their mercy, naked in front of a man you had only met once, and back in the clutches of the man who you had faked your own death to escape from.

Bucky, fast as lightning, gripped your knees in either of his hands and held them wide and still, allowing him to slot himself between your bare thighs. Between the two of them, they held you completely still aside from the heavy rise and fall of your chest.

Your eyes were locked on Bucky’s in terror. He’d only stepped between your legs to keep them from kicking out but you were terrified that he had darker intentions. He pressed himself against your body so that you were trapped between either of their chests, and his hair tickled your face as he leaned over to speak to Steve, voice so quiet that even you could not hear him.

When he pulled back, he smiled at you. His palms cupped your face and he pressed his lips against your forehead. You were so shocked that you didn’t notice the needle until it was already in your neck, the cool serum flowing through your veins. “Fuck, fuck, fuck!” you panicked as your eyelids began to grow heavy and you moved your limbs sluggishly, as much as you could with them holding you still.

“Language, baby,” Steve warned, placing a warm kiss to the side of your face as your vision darkened. “You’re okay,” was the last thing you heard before the drug pulled you under.


	2. The Attempt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I will preface that this story should get very dark later on. Please bear this in mind if that makes you uncomfortable, this may not be the fic for you.
> 
> Please leave a comment to let me know your thoughts! I loved reading all of the comments from the first chapter, and I try to reply to as many as I can. Happy reading! :)

Steve and Bucky continued to hold your weight as your body fell limp and they carefully guided you to the floor, wrapping the towel around your body so that you wouldn’t get too cold. Steve watched your sleeping face, adoration in his eyes. This was the first time he had touched you in years after thinking he would never have the chance again. You were warm, and soft, and you were _right there_. You’d upset him deeply, but it was a minor blip in the many years you would have together. Even that wouldn’t stop him from loving you.

“She really is perfect,” Bucky broke the silence, brushing your hair from your face. “Do you think she’s the one, Stevie?”

“I’ve known it since I met her,” he looked at him through thick lashes. How lucky he was, to have his two lovers both safe and sound for the first time in his life. “I knew you’d like her, Buck. She used to live in Romania, you know?”

Bucky laughed, a warm smile spreading across his face, finger still trailing along your cheekbones. “We should probably get her things, don’t want to use more anaesthesia if she starts to wake up,” he said reluctantly, not wanting to end this perfect moment.

Steve nodded, “I’ll get her dressed,” he stood and headed to the duffel bag they had brought with them. “Only grab the essentials, stuff we can’t replace. We can buy new things for her.” Bucky nodded in agreement, crossing the room to her chest of drawers immediately rifling through them. Steve knelt down beside your prone form and removed the towel that shielded your body from his gaze. Again, he felt himself grow hard in his trousers at the sight but he prided himself on his restraint, he could wait.

He searched through the bag and pulled out a long sleeve burgundy top of Bucky’s and slipped it over your top half. “Hey, Buck, pack some of her panties and throw me a pair,” the grin that Bucky gave him was salacious. A pair of lacy pink panties came flying across the room, nearly hitting Steve in the face, and he unfolded them to find that despite their lace design, they were completely opaque. He grinned to himself. Of course you would remain modest, no other man deserved to see you like he and Bucky had. _Good girl_, he thought.

He slid the panties up your legs and over your hips, followed by a pair of leggings that Bucky tossed over to him. No shoes, you wouldn’t be needing any. “You done yet, Buck?” he asked, looping his arm underneath your knees and the other under your back, lifting you into his arms and cradling you against his chest.

“Just about,” Bucky replied, placing the last of your possessions they would bring in the duffel bag and swinging it over his shoulder. He sauntered over to where Steve stood with you in his arms and leant over to place a kiss on your forehead, and then pulled Steve in for a slightly more passionate kiss. When they broke apart, they rested their foreheads against each other in utter bliss.

“We should get her home,” Bucky looked down at you again. How peaceful you looked in this state. Steve agreed and quietly, they left her apartment nearly as they found it and took the back entrance out of the block. Bucky walked ahead, making sure no one would run into them. They’d already disabled the security cameras.

Bucky got into the driver’s seat of the car while Steve manoeuvred you to the back-seat, stretching your body across the seats with your head cradled on his lap. Bucky set off as soon as Steve got you settled, it would be a long journey. They would have asked Tony for the use of one of his private jets but they didn’t want anyone asking questions just yet so their only option was to travel by car.

“Have you decided what her punishment will be?” Bucky met Steve’s eyes through the mirror.

“Not yet, I’m thinking on it,” Steve murmured, careful not to wake you. “I’m thinking I can’t just let her off with a spanking but I’m hesitant to do anything more serious.”

Bucky made a noise in agreement. You deserved a spanking for the mental pain you had put Steve through and if your ass was too sore to sit on for the next few weeks, it was nothing that you didn’t deserve. However you were only fragile. You had run because you were scared, and they needed to prove to you that there was nothing to be afraid of.

“Maybe start with a spanking and see how things go,” he offered, “Besides, I think moving five hours up-state will be a nasty shock to her system anyway.” Steve nodded, happy that he had some sense of direction now with your punishment.

About halfway through the journey you began to wake up. Your vision was hazy and you could barely distinguish more than the blurry face above you. “Doll,” they said. It sounded like you were underwater. You moaned slightly, trying to look around. Your head was held still. “You’re okay, doll, you’re okay,” the voice cooed, hand smoothing down your hair as you fell back into the lull of sleep.

The next time you awoke, you were surrounded by warmth. In the back of your mind you registered the crackling noise and homely smell of a wood fire. Your limbs were heavy, weighing down into the mattress below you. It felt like your body was floating and you were being held to the ground by your arms and legs. You rolled you head contently, burying your face into the soft fabric of the blanket underneath your head. You sighed happily.

Then your eyes shot open. Adrenaline coursed through your veins and you immediately clocked something was wrong. With great strain you lifted your weary head from the nest of blankets and looked around. Where were you? You had never seen this place before. Memories from the night before came flooding back to you. The cold, the terror, the _humiliation_. Could it all have been real?

You pulled your body from the covers and swung your legs over the side of the tall bed. You let gravity pull your lethargic body over the edge and your bare feet sank into the fur rug stretched out across the wooden floor. Just as you were about to push yourself to your feet, the door swung open, revealing _Steve_.

“Good morning, precious,” he greeted you with a beaming smile, walking over to where you sat and taking your hands in his. You looked up at him, hardly moving from fear. “How are you feeling?”

You blinked, anger rising in your chest. How could he act as if nothing the night before, or even in the past three years, had happened? The trivial question ticked you off. You tried to pull your hands towards your chest, out of his grip. He didn’t let go and the fear that you’d buried under the drowsiness surfaced. Steve could literally _hear _your heart rate begin to escalate and before you had a chance to push him away, he lifted you by the waist, spun you both around and sat down on the bed with you on his lap. With your hands free you tried to push yourself away but he kept a firm grip on your shoulder, pulling your body back to his chest.

You felt more trapped than you ever had during the years of your relationship. You’d tried _so hard _to keep away from him but it could never have been enough. “Let me go, Steve!” you cried as he buried his nose in your hair. Even sitting on his lap you tucked beneath his chin easily. His palms ran up and down your arms in what you were sure was meant to be a comforting gesture, but it couldn’t stop the violent shuddering of your chest.

“Isn’t this better, baby?” Steve’s mouth was at the shell of your ear, “You can relax now.”

Eventually you forced your body relax into him and the pressure against your shoulder dissipated. While he thought you had given in to him, you shot up from Steve’s lap and broke out of his hold. You made it only a couple of steps before your ankles gave in, your extremities still numb from the anaesthesia, and went sprawling to the ground. Your chin made contact with the floor, thrusting your neck upwards painfully. Steve sighed from behind you and his shadow lengthened as he stood, the dark completely encompassing you.

You scrambled to your feet again, trying to reach the door. You didn’t make it very far, only as far as Steve let you, and you were caught by two strong and taut arms wrapping around your waist. Your body was lifted from the ground and you couldn’t help the noise of terror that erupted from you. You managed to grasp the door frame with the tips of your fingers just as Steve lifted you and you clung to the door frame in fear. Steve tore you from the door not so gently, and manoeuvred your body in the air so that you faced him.

“Steve, let me go!” you tried to push him away but to no avail.

Your back was to the door and you failed to notice as another person entered the room. “Our little doll too much work for ya, Stevie?” a male voice chuckled.

Steve was about to reply, grunting as you struggled in his hold, but was unable to make a coherent string of words as one of your kicks hit its mark and he released you. He groaned in pain, momentarily lost to the world as he recovered from the low blow.

You hit the ground again but with the adrenaline coursing through you, you felt no pain and you quickly clambered to your feet. You had no time to move in any direction as Bucky twisted you to face him and his arms circled round you, palms settling on the small of your back. Perhaps he thought it was comforting but it immediately worried you and you attempted to back out of his grip. Even if Bucky had allowed you to, however, you would have been unable to as you felt the warmth of Steve’s chest press firmly against your back and his hands settled on your hips and lower abdomen.

“Nothing more than I can handle,” Steve replied to Bucky’s earlier question, completely ignoring your cries. Bucky chuckled in response.

You shut her eyes tight and shook your head. “No, no,” you breathed out, “This can’t be happening to me. No.” Cold metal touched your cheek, pulling you out of your reverie. Bucky’s metal hand was cupping the warm flesh of your cheek, thumb grazing the skin under your eye.

“This is for the best, doll,” he told her, lips twitching up into a warm smile that reached his eyes. You had never seen something so innocent in appearance be so frightening, “We know what’s best for you. You don’t have to worry.”

The previous night was repeating itself all over again, only this time you were clothed. “What do you want from me?” your voice broke.

“You’ve got a lot of apologising to do, baby,” the drawl of Steve’s voice sent a shiver down your spine.

“Revenge? That’s what you want?” deep down, you knew that it wasn’t all. Not going by the look in Bucky’s eyes.

“No, doll,” Bucky’s brought your face back to face him. “I can’t stand it when you look so scared. We just want you to be safe and happy.”

It was strange how you had only met this man a day ago but he was already professing his undying love for you. Steve made a noise of agreement from behind you. It dawned on you for the first time that Bucky wasn’t just here to help Steve. “_We?_” you asked warily.

“I’ve always wanted to hide you away, doll, only you and I. But even from the beginning, I knew I couldn’t be selfish and keep you to myself, not when you are perfect for the _both _of us,” Steve’s hands began to travel along your body and Bucky must have seen the rising panic in your eyes as your brain tried to process this information because he quickly distracted Steve.

“You must be hungry, doll, I’ve made some food for you. Come,” he stepped to the side slightly, hand pressing onto your back, encouraging you to walk ahead. Steve reluctantly pulled his hands from you and followed as Bucky guided you into the kitchen, his arm wrapped around your waist to support your weight as you staggered, senses thrown off by whatever they had drugged you with.

There was another fireplace in the main room which housed the living room and kitchen. You caught a glimpse out of the window and saw the vast expanse of a lake beyond the log cabin you were trapped in, snow-capped mountains surrounding you on all sides. How far were you from home?

Bucky lowered you into a seat at the dinner table, pushing your chair in once you sat down. A candle flickered in the centre of the table. Your eyes focused on it, the world around you blurring as you watched the flames dance. You only registered Steve now sitting at the head of table when he took one of your hands and encased it in his atop the table. His thumbs traced circles around the back of your hand.

You watched your conjoined hands for a moment before looking at his face. Your eyes trailed up his body slowly. He was wearing your favourite jumper of his. His jaw was cleanly shaven, something you knew he’d done for your sake. You’d always hated the burn his stubble left behind on your thighs.

He was watching you with calculating eyes. There was a glimmer of affection behind them but it was veiled behind the furrow of his brow. You couldn’t meet his eyes for long. The look in his eyes worried you, you feared that if you looked for too long he might snap. Even more, you feared that the guilt you had felt the night before would return. You had to avoid that at all costs – you couldn’t give into him.

Instead you fixed your eyes on Bucky. You could see the muscles work in his back as he prepared the food. He was bulkier than Steve who was rather lean despite his muscle, and like Steve, had wide and strong shoulders. The metal arm made him all the more foreboding.

From the moment you met him in the park you knew that you were in trouble. Steve had trusted you with his heart and soul, when he told you the story of his life not a single detail was missed out when it came to Bucky. You knew of their relationship, how they shared everything. You just didn’t realise that one day the thing they would sharing was _you_.

Not that you weren’t attracted to Bucky. Physically, he was perfect. Perhaps in another world you would have been happy to be the subject of his attentions, but it was hard to feel that sort of attraction towards your captor.

He turned abruptly, three plates balanced along his arms. He smiled when he saw you watching him and your cheeks flushed red and you quickly averted your eyes. A plate was set in front of you. The warm aroma of the pancakes filled your senses. You looked at the food numbly, feeling the back of your throat convulse.

“Thanks, Buck,” Steve waited for Bucky to sit before picking up his knife and fork. He hesitated for a moment and his head turned to face you, looking at you expectantly. You couldn’t speak, your throat had closed up. “Doll,” his voice was low, warning you, giving you a chance to do what he wanted you to, “Aren’t you going to thank Bucky?”

You opened your mouth but the nausea increased tenfold as you inhaled a fresh waft of the food. You retched, covering your mouth and leaning to the side of the table and coughing violently. When nothing came out, you took a moment to compose yourself before straightening your back and sitting back up. Your world was spinning. Neither of them had moved to help you at all, the same expectant look on Steve’s face.

Your eyes flickered between them for a moment. You didn’t want to say it but the stern look Steve was sending you scared you. “Thank you…Bucky,” you said, your voice small and raspy.

“You’re welcome, doll,” his smile was warm. You ground your jaw – if they called you _doll _one more time…

Steve raised the food to his lips and as he savoured the burst of sweetness, the noise he let out was almost orgasmic. You tried to hide your discomfort but you had heard the noise so many times before in different circumstances, and your nether regions began to pulse against your will. Your fist tightened around the fork in your hand as you battled your emotions. It was hard to hate Steve when you remembered the mind-shattering orgasms he’d given you.

But you did hate him, you hated him _so much. _He’d forced you into the position where you knew that you had to run. He’d literally suffocated you with his love and constantly disregarded your opinions. What Steve said went, it didn’t matter what you thought. The mantra to obey him had been so thoroughly ingrained into your mind that disobeying him _hurt_.

Shakily, you cut into the stack of pancakes and speared it with your fork. Your knife scraped against the plate. You tried to raise the fork to your mouth but the sweet scent hit you once again and you had to keep yourself from retching. The fork slipped from your hand and clattered on the table. You felt as if you were going to cry. How could you act as if this was normal?

“Are you alright, baby? Would you like some help?” Steve cooed, almost sarcastically. You closed your eyes and shook your head, but Steve ignored you and you heard his chair scrape against the floor he stood. He stole you from your seat, easily lifting your body weight and sitting down again with you on his lap.

His arms stretched around you to cut a neat triangle in his own stack of pancakes and when you shook your head as he raised it to your lips, he sighed. “You have to eat, doll,” Bucky rumbled from his seat. Steve grew impatient and closed two fingers around your nose. Your eyes shot open. You continued to shake your head but you grew light-headed very quickly and gasped for breath.

Steve slipped the bite of food between your lips quickly and forced you to close your lips around it. When he pulled the fork from your mouth, he covered your mouth with his hand as he forced you to chew. Your cheeks burned with embarrassment and hot tears made tracks along the curves of your face.

“Good girl,” Steve praised you when you finally swallowed. “See? It wasn’t that bad, was it?”

“No,” you told him what he wanted to hear. You could just about stomach the food but the nausea hadn’t dissipated.

“Think you can eat the rest of it yourself?” he asked, to which you nodded enthusiastically. His hands released you and you stood from his lap rapidly, but your whole body jerked when his hand swung through the air and gave you a quick swat on your ass. You yelped, more in shock than pain, and tried to avoid looking at the grins that neither Bucky nor Steve attempted to hide.

You sat back down and picked the fork up again. Steve and Bucky watched as you ate the slice and once you swallowed, they both visibly relaxed and settled into casual conversation. You managed half of the stack before the nausea got to be too much and you felt the food begin to make its way back up. You swallowed uncomfortably to keep it down, but you didn’t know how long you would last for.

Bucky and Steve finished their meals a few moments later. “Good try, doll,” Bucky praised you, the smile on his face warm and inviting. It was unfair, really, how _nice _he was. He stood from the table and Steve followed stead. Seeing them from this angle, you felt miniscule. Bucky carried the plates over to the kitchen and dumped them in the sink.

With trembling legs, you pushed your seat back and stood up. Your legs wobbled beneath you, but Steve’s hand stayed you. “Almost forgot how delicate you are, baby,” he said and you ground your teeth. This was _his _doing. No matter how much Steve would say it, you _weren’t _delicate. You weren’t fragile, you wouldn’t collapse with one gust of wind, but Steve like to think you are. Maybe it gave him justification for the way he took it upon himself to control your life. “How ‘bout you go and do the washing up whilst Bucky and I find a movie for us to watch?” he gave you a gentle nudge in the direction of the kitchen.

_That _was the straw that broke the camel’s back. You’d heard him say it so many times, traditionalist as he was. It felt as if your sentence had just been passed – the knock of the gavel cementing your future here. Nothing had changed, all you had accomplished in the past three years was to make Steve angry.

You were desperate, but all you could do was cry. A strangled sob came out of your throat as the tears renewed. Bucky’s face dropped in alarm and a moment later he was by your side, cradling your head in his arms. You couldn’t help the way you fisted his shirt in your hands. After all, Bucky had yet to hurt you. You were sure that there was something sinister beneath that smile of his but he had yet to show it to you, showering you with nothing but affection. Compared to Steve, who stood silently and stoically behind you, Bucky was a godsend. You mumbled something incoherent into his chest and he cooed, telling you everything would be okay.

But everything _wouldn’t _be okay. He’d still participated in your kidnapping and forced his way into your life as if he had the _right _to your love.

Eventually you calmed down, but your mind was still reeling. Realistically you knew that there was no getting away, but you had to try. You wrangled your way out of Bucky’s arms and he let you go as you told him you were going to wash the dishes, but not before placing his metal hand on the back of your head and tilting your head down slightly and he placed a firm, affectionate kiss on your forehead. The gears in his arm whirred and you felt slightly sick knowing what he had done with that arm – the people he had _killed_.

As you turned the tap on and let the hot water run into the sink, your eyes wandered around the room. There was a door not far from the TV where Bucky and Steve were conversing quietly, Bucky flicking through the movies that were available to watch. Even trying for that door would end badly.

Then you saw it. Between the end of the kitchen counters and the wall, a hallway that disappeared around the corner. Bright light illuminated the space. If it was a door, it was your best chance.

You looked back at Steve and Bucky. Foolishly they’d both turned their backs to you. One of Steve’s major downfalls was that he seemed to believe that it was ingrained into you to follow his commands – that you were so inherently submissive that you would already have given in. Steve thought he knew you, but he was wrong. He hardly knew you at all. All he knew of you was the image of you that he had created in his mind – the version of you that had happily gone along with whatever he had asked of you at the start of your relationship. When you were so blindly enamoured by him that you completely overlooked the momentary flickers of that something sinister lurking beneath the kind, green-eyed surface. You had changed, but he hadn’t grasped that.

With the water still running, you carefully tiptoed towards the door. Either Bucky or Steve must have heard your movements. You were nearly silent in your movements but their senses were slightly to the left of the normal spectrum. If they’d heard you, they must have assumed it was you moving to place the plates back in the cupboard.

You rounded the corner and your heart filled with glee at the sight of the door, but your stomach dropped. Part of you had hoped that there wasn’t a door at all. You knew to run was foolish, but you didn’t think that you would have retained your sanity had you never attempted.

You placed your hand on the door handle, cool to the touch just like Bucky’s arm. Your heart was beating so fast that there was absolutely no way that they hadn’t heard it. And you were right. Just as you considered giving up, returning to the sink and pretending that you hadn’t tried to leave at all, Steve turned his head and looked straight at you.

You were frozen in place, terrified. Surely he’d vault over the sofa and come straight for you, pin you against the wall and find some way to punish you. Instead, he fixed you with the most bone-chilling, terror-inducing glare and drawled, “You have three seconds to move away from that door, doll.”

The tone of his voice left no room for argument, but you knew it was too late to turn back now. You glared back, steeling yourself for the fury you would induce. “Fuck you, Steve, I won’t be a part of this,” you spat venomously. You barely saw the way his face morphed into unadulterated anger and, if you weren’t mistaken, shock, before turning the handle and flinging the door open, revealing to you a world of blinding white.


	3. The Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: dub-con situations, spanking

You knew immediately upon opening the door that you had made an even graver mistake than you had anticipated. A snowy valley stretched out before you on all sides, pure and untouched from human activity other than the house you stood on the precipice of. On one side, the house faced an lake that had iced over, and on all other sides mountains towered above you. There was nowhere you could go.

Even so, you thought that you ought to take your chances in the wilderness rather than become what Steve and Bucky wanted you to be. You had a fair idea of what that entailed and you valued your agency far too much to allow that to happen.

There were no noises to be heard from behind you. Mere seconds had passed but you knew how silent Steve could be. You didn't need to turn around to see him approaching you.

You ran out onto the porch before you could let that happen, but your bare feet offered no grip and immediately you fell to the ground, landing on your ankle. You yelped in pain but quickly scrambled to your hands and knees, crawling the rest of the way off the porch and into the snow.

You hadn't anticipated how cold it would be. It wasn't a chill that you could ignore, it was so cold that your skin was burning. You hadn't anticipated how deep the snow would be either, once you managed to stand you were buried to your waist and very soon you had expended all of your energy simply trying to get through the mounds of snow. 

By that time, Steve had easily caught up to you and trapped you in his arms. He lifted you into the air despite your defeated cries and swung you over his shoulder. Your stomach hit his shoulder with a thud that winded you and instead of crying you began to cough violently again. Steve said nothing as he crossed the ice with ease and soon you were back in the warmth of the cabin.

He deposited you on the sofa where Bucky was waiting with a blanket which he immediately wrapped around your shoulders. Steve stood in front of you, your folded knees pressed against his shins, looking down at you with crossed arms and a stern, disappointed look across his face.

Your teeth were chattering from the shivers racking through your body. Your clothes were sodden and you couldn't focus on much but the cold.

“Buck, go get her showered and warm. We'll deal with her after,” Steve said, his voice somehow even colder than the snow outside. You winced at the tone of his voice. Bucky swooped you into his arms and held you against his chest, the abrupt movement causing pain to blossom in your ankle now that the numbness from the cold had worn off. 

“Come on, doll,” Bucky placated you when you whimpered. He was clearly not as angry with you as Steve, or at least he could hide it better. In the short time you had known Bucky, the only emotion he had worn on his sleeve was affection. If it wasn't that, then his face was a mask.

Bucky carried you into the bathroom and set you on your feet just outside of the shower, eyes scanning over you anxiously. Why wasn't he angry?

Your eyes welled up and Bucky's hands were on your back again, sliding underneath your shirt and pressing you against his body. You leaned your head into his chest, careful not to put any pressure on your ankle, and let out a quiet sob. What did you expect to happen?

Bucky stretched his arm out and water began spraying from all directions inside the cubicle. His hand returned to you and he began to peel your leggings from your shaking legs. You didn't protest as he did, you were so cold and you knew the sooner you were in the shower the better.

He shimmied your leggings down to your ankle and paused when he realised why you were keeping your foot lifted above the ground. His fingers prodded at the bruising skin and you hissed in pain, gripping his shoulders where they were level with your waist. “Oh, doll,” he sighed, “you've really done a number on yourself, haven't you?”

He pulled the leggings over your ankle gently and stood to his full height again. He placed his palm on the underside of your thigh and lifted your leg so that your hip was slotted against his and you would have to channel your weight between your uninjured leg and through him. His hands worked to remove your top as you continued to shiver in his arms. He pulled the fabric over your chest and, almost in a trance, you lifted your arms so that he could pull it over them.

Your breath hitched as you realised that for the second time in twenty-four hours, you were bare-chested in front of a man you barely knew. That hesitation only lasted a second as he hooked his fingers around your panties on either side of your hips and they fell to the floor.

There was silence between you for a moment as his dark eyes slid over your figure, his hands resting on your waist. You continued to shiver and he seemed to consider something for a moment before looking back at you with a glint in his eyes. “Hang on a moment, doll,” he said as he hoisted you onto the counter, before proceeding to remove his own clothing.

Your eyes widened as he shed his trousers and his top, what the fuck is he doing? Your breaths increased pace, if that was even possible given how you the cold made you take deep and heavy breaths that caused your whole body to shudder. Lastly he removed his underwear and your face grew a much deeper shade of burgundy as you desperately tried to avert your eyes, much more grace than he had given you.

He grinned when he saw your reaction and he approached you, lifting you off of the counter and wrapping your legs around his. Your panic heightened as you realised the position this put you in and you felt the tip of his member prod the sensitive skin of your pussy. Bucky heaved a sigh but made no move to continue on, showing that his intentions were not of that sort. You were too tired and cold to move and resigned to letting your head fall against his shoulder. He chuckled and you felt the gentle reverberations in his chest. He walked you both to the shower and you were immediately assaulted on all sides by hot jets of water.

You were so numb that the water caused a momentary shock to your system. You didn't notice as Bucky manipulated your limbs and once again you had one foot on the floor and the other wrapped around Bucky's hip as he balanced you carefully against his chest. The position was incredibly compromising and you just had to hope that Bucky would keep to his promise and not take advantage of you.

Soon you warmed up and the shudders came to a stop. You were standing with your cheek pressed against Bucky's chest and your breasts pressed against his abdomen, bathing in the warmth from the shower and his body. He seemed to be savouring the attention you gave him for his hands stayed firmly on your back and didn't travel any further down, and he rested his chin on the top of your head, keeping you tucked into his body. He seemed to be rocking your bodies gently but you couldn't tell if that was him or just your general dizziness.

You didn't try to pull away, even if you did your muscles were so heavy now that it would have been a very feeble attempt. You knew that the moment you stepped into the living room, you would be faced with a very angry Steve and you'd rather take your chances with Bucky in the shower. Eventually, though, Bucky began to move. “Are you warm enough yet, doll?” he asked, voice coated in a layer of sugary sweetness.

“Yeah,” you mumbled dejectedly. What part of running did you ever think would go your way?

“Okay, we better not keep Steve waiting,” he said, pressing his lips into your temple. He seemed to like doing that. He shifted your bodies again and reached to turn the water off, and your panic resurfaced.

“Wait! Bucky, please, you don't know what he was like!” you begged him desperately, your arms wrapping tight around him.

Bucky pulled back slightly and grasped your chin gently between his finger and thumb, directing your gaze to his face. “Steve only wants the best for you, doll,” he told you, caressing your jaw. His demeanour had changed slightly and it bothered you.

“He doesn't know what's best for me!” you whispered hurriedly, scared that Steve might be listening.

“Doll,” his voice lowered a pitch and his grip on your chin tightened, pulling your lower lip down. His thumb rested on your lips as if he was hushing you, “You don't know what you're talking about.” You gulped nervously. It became clear to you that Bucky wouldn't be of much help to you, that ultimately he wanted the same thing from you that Steve did. “Come on,” Bucky sighed, turning the streams of water off. The cold hit you again but Bucky swiftly wrapped you in a fluffy towel and sat you on the counter whilst he dried himself off and put his clothes back on.

Your thoughts drifted to what lay in wait for you on the other side of the door. Steve had never punished you before, per se, but you knew first-hand what he was capable of. During your relationship he always found some way of getting what he wanted from you, be it having his way with you or washing the dishes or quitting your job. When you did something that he didn't like, he threatened you. It wasn't often that Steve committed any of the acts that he had threatened you with as a punishment, such as washing your mouth out with soap when you swore, but there was one threat he always lived up to. “Do that again and next time I'll fuck you so raw that you won't be able to sit right for a week.”

By the morning after he'd actually followed through with it, you had already hatched a plan of escape. If you were being entirely honest, when he had said it the first time, you had become very excited at the thought and actively sought to make him follow through. But it wasn't loving like you'd expected it to be, it was rough and it hurt. You hadn't been on birth control so when he chose not to wear a condom despite your protests and came inside of you rather than pulling out, you were horrified. You knew that he wanted a family and when he had casually brought up the question of what you'd like to name your first child, you were terrified that he had set out to enact his will whether you liked it or not.

Once Bucky had finished getting dressed, he approached you bare-chested with his shirt in his hands. You looked at him sullenly even as he offered the shirt to you. You pulled it over your head, happy for the barrier of clothing between your chest and him but as you realised there was nothing for you to wear on your lower half, you resigned to pulling it tight around your waist.

As if you were a doll, Bucky picked you up once again and the towel fell to the ground. The blanket from before was wrapped around your shoulders and it stopped at your legs. He held you to his chest and carried you over the threshold into the main room where Steve was waiting.

Bucky sat you on the sofa and went to stand behind you, his hands resting on your shoulders. You wrapped the blanket around your body even tighter as Steve came to stand directly in front of you. Steve crouched before you, his face level with yours. His eyes were so cold that you had to look away, but he gripped the back of your neck and tilted your face towards him. Steve liked eye-contact. You, however, did not.

“It's understandable that you're scared, baby,” Steve's voice was much softer than the look in his eyes, “But you need to learn that running away when you don't know how to cope with your emotions isn't the right thing to do. I would've thought you'd have learned by now, but I can see that you need another lesson.”

“A lesso-” you began incredulously but Steve placed his finger over your lips.

“Hush,” his voice was a mere whisper, “You can talk all you want later, but for now – Bucky?”

At Steve's prompt, Bucky removed his hands from your shoulders and the blanket was tugged from your body. You tried to hold on to it but Steve held your hands firm in his own. The next few seconds were a blur as Steve stole the seat from beneath you and bent you over his lap, your bare ass on display. You didn't even have the chance to attempt to wriggle from his hold before he brought his palm down upon you and your body jerked violently, forcing the breath out of you. Your feet scrambled for traction against the wooden flooring below but the pressure on your ankle caused you to howl in pain.

“You're gonna wanna stay still for this, doll, your ankle is already sore,” Bucky chuckled from somewhere around you, but your hair had fallen to shield your face on either side. You could see neither of them and you knew that was probably for the better.

Steve's hand came down upon your flesh again, resting where it landed a moment as the skin reddened, before lifting his hand again and bringing it down with even more force. You didn't keep count of how many hits you'd taken, you couldn't. You just knew that by the end of it your tears had renewed and you were sniffling quietly.

You didn't want to give him a reaction but the mortification of the situation was too much for you to bear. After all, this wasn't just a man you had no prior attachment to. You'd loved him once. Each slap he reined down upon you was just confirmation of the fact that you had been right all along – that you had been right to get out when you did, even if ultimately it got you nowhere. This treatment felt like a betrayal of the love that you had once held for him.

When Steve had finally finished, he removed the arm from your back that had been weighing you down and his large hands encompassed your waist, lifting you up. You stumbled back slightly out of his grip as your body straightened and you lost your balance, and you fell into Bucky's awaiting arms.

Bucky exuded warmth that you desperately needed and you found yourself leaning into his hold as he linked his arms beneath your chest, holding your body up just enough so that you didn't have to put weight on your injured foot. “You're okay, doll,” he mumbled into your ear, kissing one of the salty tears that trickled down the curve of your cheek. “You took it so well.”

“Buck,” Steve called from the sofa. “Could you go and find the first aid kit for her ankle and bring her some joggers?”

Bucky looked at him with a petulant frown on his face, “Why can't you get them?”

“Because I think she and I ought to have a talk,” Steve's tone left no room for argument. Bucky stiffened but said nothing else, “A sort of...catch-up if you will.”

Bucky's shoulders fell as he heaved out a disappointed sigh and he made to move you onto the sofa next to Steve. “Bucky, no! Please-” you tried to cling on to him but Bucky ignored you and gently lowered you to the sofa. He pulled the blanket back over your lap and leaned down to press yet another kiss on your forehead, before leaving to follow Steve's command.

Steve's presence besides you was domineering and foreboding. He stretched an arm behind you and curled it around your shoulder, pulling you into his side. The tortured skin of your ass rubbed against the fabric of the sofa as he did so, eliciting a hiss from you.

You could feel Steve's eyes on the side of your face as you studiously stared into the fire, observing how the flames danced their dangerous dance with one another. Steve's free hand reached for the necklace still dangling from your throat and he rolled the diamond between his fingers. It was simple, nothing too gaudy, very tasteful.

“I remember the smile on your face when I gave this to you that Christmas,” his voice was calm, almost melancholic. “You were so grateful. What happened to that?” His hand on your shoulder tightened. He prompted you when you didn't answer, “Doll? I thought you loved me.”

The tone of his voice hurt. You could feel your chest tighten. “I did,” you sniffled, still not looking at him.

“Then why did you leave me?” he sounded so small, like that little boy from Brooklyn he had once been. You chanced a glance at him and his thick lashes were wet with tears that were glistening in his eyes. You'd be lying if you didn't feel the slightest bit of guilt. But it was no more than that, this was the man who had just bent you over his knee and spanked you as if you were a child having a tantrum. “When I thought you were dead, I was so far gone that only Bucky could bring me back. I want to be angry with you, doll, I really do, but I'm just so grateful that God brought you back to me and gave us another chance at happiness.”

His lips were so close to yours. Inches away, you could feel his breath upon your lips.

“And what about Bucky? Where does he fit in?” your voice was only a whisper.

“Don't you think Bucky deserves happiness too, after all he's been through?” his words weighed heavily in your mind. Of course he did, Bucky deserved all the recompense that the world could give him after what it put him through. But why did that recompense have to come in the form of you?

“Yes, but-” Steve silenced you before you could speak any further, his soft lips meeting yours. Your heart stilled in your chest and adrenaline coursed through your body as your body initiated the fight or flight response, but you forced yourself to remain calm. A simple kiss, that's all this was. Nothing more, nothing less. His lips remained against yours for a short moment before he reluctantly pulled away. It was nice.

“Ah-ah. That’s not how this works. You don’t get to leave me again, no buts,” he smiled at you with that hard to resist, genuine smile that had drawn you in when you met him. He rested his forehead against yours, dazzling eyes gazing into yours. “No buts and we'll be happy,” he issued his ultimatum.

He was delusional, you realised. The only reason that he was able to rationalise the thought of you being willing in this situation was that he never understood why you had left, never grasped his wrongdoings for he was blind to them. In his eyes he had been ever the doting boyfriend, given you everything you could have ever wanted, he couldn't understand why it wasn't enough.

It was then when Bucky re-entered the room. His heart swelled at the sight of his lover and lover-to-be curled up together in front of the fire and he smiled. Maybe this was his turn to be happy too.


	4. The Gala

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are still going slow and steady, but for how long? Things will kick off soon, don’t you worry my guys.

Just as he had cooked breakfast that morning, Bucky cooked dinner for the three of you in the evening. You awoke from your nap to the smell of a warm Italian dish wafting around the cabin. The blanket had been pulled up to your neck as you stretched across the sofa, your face warm from the fire. For a sweet moment, you were in a state of bliss.

Then, a twinge of pain, and you remembered your situation.

You shifted, feeling the cushion that had been propped beneath your bandaged ankle slip away. The side table was within reach, a tall glass of water and a packet of branded painkillers sitting on its glossy surface. You reached for them immediately and shook out the pack's contents, finding only two pills. Of course – they were worried that you might overdose.

You could hear Bucky humming quietly in the kitchen as he prepared dinner, and you heard the sound of Steve in the shower. You laid back and closed your eyes, savouring the first moment of privacy that you'd had since waking in this cabin. Your mind was free to wander.

It had only been twenty-four hours since they had taken you, yet yesterday felt as if it was a year ago. All you had known had been taken from the you and Bucky and Steve filled the void they created, forcing your dependence on them. You tilted your head back and felt the diamond fall against the base of your throat. A memory stirred in the back of your mind, of a time when you had been fully decked in glittering jewels, of a time not so distinctly different from now.

_It was New Year's Eve and you and Steve were attending a gala hosted by none other than Tony Stark. You had yet to meet him, nor any of the other Avengers, but you understood that things between Steve and Tony were more than just tense. The surprise he had shown upon opening the invitation was proof enough of that. Steve had been reluctant to go at first, still bristling over Tony's treatment of Bucky, but a few choice words from you coaxed him into changing his mind. _

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_You just wanted to get out of the house._

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_The morning after Steve accepted Tony's invitation, mercifully speaking to Pepper over the phone rather than Stark himself, he handed you a glossy fashion magazine and instructed you to choose the dress you wanted from it. Your jaw fell to the floor as you read the designer's name printed in elegant lettering across the front. You knew that Steve had a lot of money but he rarely spent it on material possessions – the fact that he was willing to spend such a large amount on you, just for one evening, was very touching._

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_But you had to remind yourself that Steve was also obsessive. If it came to it, he would probably kill for you. Buying an expensive dress just for you was rather tame in comparison._

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_Entering the Stark tower on the arm of Captain America and decked from head to toe in gems, you were sure that you made quite the entrance. You were introduced to Natasha Romanoff first and you felt grateful to finally have some female company. Despite the guarded expression she wore and the tightness in her eyes as she looked at Steve, she was warm with you and spoke of how she was happy that Steve had finally found someone that complemented him so well._

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_It was an hour or so into the night and you still had yet to meet your host. You started towards the bar, needing a drink to quell your nerves, however Steve caught your wrist in a vice-like grip. “Where are you going?” he questioned, keeping his voice cool and calm whilst in the company of others._

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_“To get a drink,” you told him, “Would you like anything?”_

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_“No thank you, honey. This is your last drink of the night though, you have to start being careful, you won't be able to drink so much once you're with child,” his thumb ran across your wrist. His words sent an icy crawl down the back of your neck and you had to suppress the agitated roll of your shoulders. It didn't matter that you'd told him time and time again that you weren't ready to have children, Steve consistently dismissed your words and asserted that once you were pregnant, your motherly instincts would kick in and that you would then share his excitement at the thought of the family and life that you would have together. It didn't even seem to matter to him that the two of you weren't even married, despite his traditionalist tendencies._

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_“Okay, Steve,” was all you could say. He expected an answer, but now wasn't the time nor place to contradict him. He dropped your hand and smiled before turning back to his conversation with Sam. You stared at the back of his head for a moment, your nose screwing in agitation, but you turned around before Sam could get suspicious, as dearly as you wanted him to. Steve wasn't the same person you had met all those months ago._

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_The drink you ordered at the bar was strong, three large shots of gin mixed with elderflower tonic. Steve might have been able stop you from having any more drinks for the night, but as he wasn't here he wasn't able to dictate what you drank. As the bartender prepared your drink, a large figure joined you._

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_“We haven't had the pleasure of meeting yet,” he said. If you hadn't already seen his face, you'd have been able to tell by the blue glow emanating from his chest who he was. “Allow me to introduce myself, I'm Tony Stark.”_

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_ "Pleasure,” you said dryly. Being with Steve was so draining that you didn't have the energy for niceties. “I'm-”_

__

__

_ “Capsicle's girlfriend,” Tony finished for you. You ground your jaw, trying not to lash out at him. “It's taken him a long time to for him to finally find someone to settle down with. S'pose I should be happy for him.”_

__

__

_“Aren't you?” you didn't question his usage of the term 'settle down'. It was clear to everyone that that was exactly what Steve wanted from you._

__

__

_"Are you?” his question made you wince. You looked at him in shock. “There's my answer,” Tony's jaw clicked and he knocked back his drink. “Bastard,” he mumbled under his breath._

__

__

_“What do you mean?” you were too scared that Steve might be able to hear to tell Tony how you felt._

__

__

_Tony looked over his shoulder, seeing Steve trying once again to lift Thor's hammer. Clearly he wasn't listening. He leaned into your side, speaking in a low voice into your ear, “Since Bucky went back into the ice, Cap hasn't been the same. I don't know if anyone else has noticed it but he's been...volatile, angry, just a downright ass. If you ever need help, if he...” Tony seemed to recoil at his next words, “if he tries to – to force you into doing something you don't want, give me a call.” He slipped a small piece of paper into your hand. You took it with wide eyes and held it firmly within your palm. “Understand?” his eyes bore into you and you nodded, dumbfounded. His shoulders relaxed slightly from their tensed position. “Good meeting ya, kid,” he gave you a firm pat on your shoulder, speaking louder than before, and took his leave. You watched after him in shock, eyes flickering back over to Steve who was still trying to lift Mjölnir from the ground. A candle of hope burned bright in your chest. _

You sighed as you came back to the real world. Meeting Tony had been your saving grace. Without his assistance, you'd probably be living with Steve as his wife in a suburban home, mother to two of his children and a third one on its way. You wondered if that would still be your future, or had things changed too drastically since then?

“You're awake, just in time,” Bucky's face appeared before you. Embarrassment flooded you as you recalled the way you had clung your naked body to his in the shower earlier and you were glad that your cheeks were already so pink from the heat of the fire that he couldn't see the blush that crept up your face. He held a bowl of pasta in front of your face. Even after resting, your nausea still hadn't dissipated but you pretended that your stomach didn't churn at the sight.

You sat up, lifting your bruised ass from the sofa and turning your body so that you rested on your hip. Bucky placed the bowl in your hands, “Would you like any cheese? Pepper?” he offered. You tried to control the sudden surge of emotions, but you couldn't help it as your body gave in and your lip wobbled slightly. You sucked it in, digging your teeth in to keep yourself from caving. If Bucky noticed your distress, he didn't comment on it. “Doll?” he prompted you.

“Um, no thank you,” you said meekly. “Thanks, Bucky.”

“No problem, doll,” his hand ran down the side of your head tenderly, finger twisting around one of your curls. You looked at him in question and he retracted his hand as if he had been caught doing something he shouldn't have and moved away. “Let me know if you need anything,” he told you as he returned to the kitchen and prepared the other two significantly larger bowls of pasta he'd made.

Bucky unnerved you. Even though you couldn't predict what Steve would do at any given moment, at least he was a known evil. Bucky, you didn't understand. Even though he'd participated in your kidnapping, he was your only source of comfort in this cabin, and he knew that. He must have known what he was doing to you, how could he not? You had actively sought Bucky out for comfort, wanting to be with him rather than Steve. Steve scared you but Bucky was just so nice, when faced with the choice of two evils, you had to choose the lesser one. You just had to hope that you wouldn't soon learn that Bucky also held the same propensity for evil that Steve did, that he was just deluded and desperate from his years of isolation and torture and that was all. You could only hope.

You missed the conversation between Steve and Bucky as Steve came back into the room freshly showered. His stern voice jolted you, pulling you from your thoughts, “Why is she eating on the couch?” His large hand swept the bowl from yours. You breathed deeply, don't lash out at him, don't lash out at him.

“'Cause I was being nice, Stevie, maybe you should try it,” Bucky laughed from the other side of the room.

“Watch it,” Steve's words were a warning but his tone was lighter. “Whatever, Buck, but we're eating at the table.” He stretched the arm holding the bowl out and Bucky rolled his eyes but nevertheless walked over and took the bowl from him, placing it on the table across from his spot and next to Steve's just like earlier.

Steve rounded the sofa, his shadow looming over you. You looked up at him warily, scared that he was still angry with you. You couldn't face another punishment. “Come on, sweetheart,” he said softly, lifting you easily from the sofa. You made a small noise of protest but said nothing as he carried you over to the table. He sat you down in your chair – clearly it was your designated chair now – and took the seat at the head of the table.

“Did you sleep well?” he asked between bites of food.

“I guess,” you said uncomfortably, swirling the pasta around with your fork. Steve looked at you in question, nudging you to elaborate. “I still feel tired.”

“You've had a long couple of days, you need a good night's sleep,” Steve told you. You didn't want to know what a “good night's sleep” entailed with the two of them. Steve didn't mention the real reason you were so tired being that your system was still recovering from the drugs they had forced into you the night before and the emotional distress they had put you through.

“Yes, Steve,” you replied obediently, staring at the grains of the wooden table.

The rest of the meal went much the same as breakfast. Steve and Bucky talked with one another, every now and then they would try and engage you in conversation but all they received were half-hearted replies. Once you had stomached all you could and they both had finished their meals, they gathered the bowls and cutlery and carried them to the kitchen. You stayed where you sat. You had no crutch to walk on so your only other option was to limp, but your lids were growing heavy and you just wanted to curl in on yourself. You leaned over, resting your head against the table and closing your eyes, trying to imagine that you were somewhere else.

“Do you wanna go to bed, doll?” you heard Bucky ask from far away and you nodded sleepily. Warm hands snaked beneath your knees and behind your back. You could see the lighting change through your closed lids as you were carried from the kitchen to the bedroom. You felt light as a feather as you were gently lowered onto the soft cloud of bed and you immediately buried your head into the pillow, trying to avoid the reality of what was now your life.

Suddenly you were very, very hot. Your eyes snapped open and you were faced with Bucky's bare chest, the puckered scarring that lined the joint of his skin and the metal arm directly in your view. Steve's forearms corded with muscle wrapped around your waist from behind you, pulling your hips into him. “Don't,” your voice was weak as you rolled your head to look at the ceiling.

Bucky's metal fingers took hold of your jaw and tilted your head back to him. He claimed your lips, distracting you as Steve's hand slipped beneath your waistband. What you felt as Bucky kissed you couldn't be described for there were no words that would do justice to the way his lips brushed against yours, soft and warm and almost like a caress. You closed your eyes and gave into it, baring your soul to him. You broke the kiss with an inaudible gasp, your neck arching back as Steve's fingers ghosted across your clit, igniting a stroke of pleasure that spread warmth throughout your body.

You could feel Steve smile into your neck as his finger increased pressure, swirling around your bud and causing your toes to curl. Your fingers dug into Bucky's back as you reached your hands out, pulling him closer. Steve continued his ministrations and your thighs clenched around his hand, a delicious throbbing in your core causing all of your muscles to twitch. A shiver ran through your body as your pleasure grew and grew while the warmth in your core blossomed. “Steve,” you panted, your voice tapering off into a whine, “just,- please.” You tried to tell him to stop, despite the heightening pleasure you felt, but instead you ended up begging him for release.

With your eyes screwed tightly shut, you could only feel as Bucky's hair brushed across your cheek as he and Steve met each other in a kiss mere inches above your face. You were concerned only with the pressure in your core, locking all of your muscles in place as your whole body shuddered and you let out a wanton mewl. You came hard and suddenly, coating Steve's hand in your juices. It left you panting on the bed beneath them, recovering from the climax. You had a very strong and sudden urge to cry, but not like you had before. It had just felt so good, such a strong sensation that you hadn't felt in years, not even from your own hand.

“Good girl,” Steve praised you, voice laden with a smug satisfaction. You opened your eyes, your lids heavy as you met Bucky's hungry eyes. Steve removed his hand from between your legs, leaving you feeling strangely cold and your thighs clenching around nothing but air, and held his fingers in your sight, glistening in the moonlight. Steve took one of these fingers into his mouth and your mortification grew...as did your arousal. “So sweet,” Steve's voice was low and you were acutely aware of the hardness of his member pressing against your back, “Would you like a taste, Buck?”

Bucky's smile was lecherous and filled with lust. Steve's finger slipped into his mouth and Bucky quite literally moaned as he wrapped his lips around it, savouring the taste that lingered on his hand. You looked away in revulsion, despite the way you clenched your thighs together at the sound. Steve removed his hand and returned it to your pussy, finger swirling and teasing you, bringing the remainder of your wetness towards your face. 

“Put that finger anywhere near my mouth and I'll bite it off,” you warned him, earning laughter from both men. Steve's hand disappeared from your view and with a heavy heart, you closed your eyes and buried your head into the pillow, trying to forget that they were there. 

But they would always be there. They didn't remove their hands from your skin, as if they were worried that you might disappear if they let you go. They were impossibly warm and you felt as if you were going to suffocate from the heat of them. Either they were cold as stone or they were warm as the sun. You desperately wanted to shed the layers of clothing that you wore but didn't want to yet again give either of them the satisfaction of seeing you naked, especially whilst they were still clothed.

“Goodnight, doll,” one of them said as the lamp was turned off, swathing the room in darkness. By that time, you were too far gone to reply.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As someone who loves to write but is often short on ideas, if there's anything you'd like see feel free to send it my way!
> 
> And as always, please leave a comment, I'd love to know what you thought about the chapter.


	5. The Truth

You barely slept through the night. Every couple of hours you would wake covered in a sheen of sweat and your heart racing. Steve's arm was slung over your waist, fingers ghosting over your stomach, and Bucky's leg had somehow slipped between yours, raising your leg to rest on his thigh. Your bodies were intertwined and you hated it. Eventually you decided that you'd had enough and you tentatively raised Steve's arm from your waist, slowly sitting up and lowering his hand so that it rested on Bucky's back and he wouldn't miss your warmth. You were surprised by how easy it was to slip from the bed after that. Both of them slept like the dead.

Your mind raced with options and you felt a slight kick of adrenaline coursing through your veins, the thrill you'd get from disobedience. You knew that you could try and run but realistically you knew you wouldn't get far, that you would probably freeze in the snow before you reached civilisation. No, you had to bide your time until you could find out a way to contact Tony.

So what now? The cool air hit you from all sides as you stood in the middle of bedroom and you sighed, glad to be rid of the sweltering heat from all three of your bodies. You decided to head to the shower. You knew that the sound of the water was sure to wake them up and that they would initially be furious that you'd disappeared, showering was no crime. You hadn't run, they would be relieved more than anything.

You limped into the bathroom, careful not to place too much pressure on your ankle. You locked the door behind you and for the first time alone, you felt your walls begin to crumble. You didn't give yourself much time to think, quickly stripping and hopping into the shower. You slid down the wall and wrapped your arms around your legs as the water drowned out the sounds of your quiet sobs.

You'd been in the shower for only a couple of minutes before you heard a thunderous banging from the door, jolting you. You heard Steve call your name and the handle twisted, the door thudding against its frame. “You better be in there, doll!” he said, his voice lined with panic.

“I am,” you replied, just loud enough for him to hear but not so loud that he could hear how your voice trembled. “I'm just showering,” you assured him.

The banging stopped and the handle was still. “Okay doll,” you could hear the relief in his voice, “Take as much time as you want.” You didn't reply, staring at the wall solemnly. “Doll?”

“Yes, Steve,” you replied reluctantly. There was no further response from him so you assumed he left. Per Steve's orders, but largely of your own want, you did indeed take your time, choosing to sit under the heavy stream of water until the muscles in your back began to ache from your position.

You rose to your feet, resting heavily on the tiled wall, and reached for the soap. There were no floral scented soaps as you would've chosen, only the soap that you'd smelled on them before. You supposed it'd probably give them some sort of kick to smell their soap on you as some possessive claim over you and your body. Nevertheless, you popped off the cap and lathered the soap onto your body.

When you were done, you stepped out of the shower and wrapped a fluffy towel around your body, clutching it tightly to your skin. You hobbled over to the sink and found a hair dryer in the cabinet below. There was no chair to sit on so you lowered the toilet lid and sat on that, staring blankly at the wall as you aimed the dryer at your hair. 

It took much longer than it should have for you to leave the bathroom and when you did, you still felt like you hadn't been in there for half as long as you had wished. You only decided that your hair was dry enough when you heard a tentative knock and Bucky calling you, asking if you wanted a coffee, his gentle way of telling you that you'd been in there far too long.

When you finally opened the door, Bucky shot up from his perch at the end of the bed where he'd been anxiously biting at his nails. “Morning, doll,” he breathed, a soft smile upon his face. You ignored him, wincing as you limped over to the dresser and began searching for something to wear. Your eyes widened as you opened the first drawer, finding it full of your panties from home. You didn't know whether to be comforted that you had something of your own, or disturbed that they'd gone through your private belongings.

You picked a pair that weren't so revealing and opened the drawer below, frowning when you saw that this one did not have any of your clothing and instead was filled with feminine clothing that you knew wasn't yours from home. You retrieved a pair of sweatpants and a vest top and looked pointedly at Bucky who had been waiting behind you. The look he flashed you was one of curious innocence, like the look of a child who didn't realise what they were doing was wrong. You continued to stare at him with a raised eyebrow, “Could you turn around please?”

Bucky looked as if he was about to laugh, deterred only by your scowl. “Alright, doll,” he agreed, turning his back to you. When you were certain he wasn't going to peek, you dropped the towel and pulled the vest top over your torso. “Not much point in it though, doll, is there? Already seen you naked.”

His words were brutal, like a slap to the face. You tried to ignore the burn in your cheeks or the prick in your eyes. Leaning on the dresser, you managed the slip the panties on without placing too much pressure on your injured ankle, however when it came to the sweatpants you began to struggle with the leg and couldn't sustain your own weight, tumbling the ground.

You landed with a gasp as your bruised ass hit the hard flooring. Bucky span around immediately and rushed over to you, eyes soft in worry. “I'm alright,” you batted away his hand unsuccessfully. He ignored you and lifted you to your feet, holding you close to his body as he helped you pull the sweatpants over your hips. 

“Sure you are,” he chuckled as you pushed away from him. “How's your ankle?”

“It's not as bad as yesterday,” you looked pointedly at the fading bruises, “I can walk.”

“Sure you don't need me to carry you?” he grinned at you. You scowled back, none of this was a joke to you. It clearly was to him. You pushed past him and headed through the door to the open plan kitchen and lounge. Bucky followed close behind, prepared to sweep you up in his arms if need be, not happy to see his girl put herself under unnecessary strain.

You took a seat at the island and looked around the room, finding no head of golden blond awaiting you. “Where's Steve?” you asked of Bucky. He pointed to the large window facing the lake in answer and you peered out of it, briefly seeing Steve's golden hair in the sun before he submerged himself in the water. “Won't he freeze?”

“No, doll,” he smiled as if you had said the sweetest thing ever, placing a steaming mug of coffee in front of you, “Stevie and I are built stronger than that.”

“I suppose,” you mumbled, bringing the mug to your lips and inhaling the sweet aroma.

Across the counter, Bucky began to arrange what he needed for breakfast but paused, looking at you with a hesitant look on his face. You looked at him warily. “Wanna help me make breakfast for when Stevie finishes his swim?” he asked.

You glared at him. “I'm not going to cook for you,” you almost snarled at him, placing the mug back on the counter, the liquid spilling over the sides.

Bucky's face fell and his features hardened. “C'mon, doll, you're gonna have to get used to it sooner or later,” he placed the eggs and milk on the opposite side of the counter to you, nudging a mixing bowl in your direction.

“No!” you spat incredulously, “I won't cook for either of you.”

Bucky heaved a deep sigh, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. When he opened them, the look in his eyes was much harsher than before. “What's up, doll?” he crossed his arms, leaning on his elbows with a concerned expression painted across his face. The look in his eyes made it clear to you, he was giving you a chance to explain your outburst before things got escalated.

You considered your options. You could sit there and refuse to speak to him and do nothing for yourself, or you could at least try and earn his pity. After a couple of moments, your resolve broke and your face crumpled. “I don't want this, can't you see? I don't want any of this!” tears blurred your vision as you met his eyes, pleading with him.

His expression softened and he pushed himself off of the counter, rounding the island and encompassing you in his arms. You broke out of his hold, pushing him away with a shout and putting a good couple of metres between you. You almost felt guilty for the expression of hurt upon his face. “I left Steve for a reason! He didn't leave me any option, I had to leave. I don't want him!”

“Doll-” Bucky started towards you again, arms outstretched.

“No!” you backed away, “I don't want you either, Bucky, I don't even know you and yet you've seen me naked. Do you realise how fucked up that is?”

Bucky visibly flinched at your choice of words. “You will know me, doll, that's the beauty of it. We have all of the time in the world to get to know each other,” you could tell from his tone of voice that he was slowly starting to lose his patience with you.

“Don't you get it?” you were becoming frantic, “That's not what I want, to be trapped between you for the rest of my life.”

“It's not all about what you want, doll,” Bucky pushed forward, easily taking your wrists into his hands even as you tried to pull away. “Don't you think Steve and I deserve some respite after all the world has put us through? We just want someone to love, doll. Is that so hard?” You sobbed and he shushed you, placing a large palm on your back and moulding your body against his, your tears staining his shirt. “It's alright, calm down,” he murmured, burying his nose into your hair and massaging your back. “Be a good girl and help me with breakfast and we won't have to let Steve know what just happened. You know how he hates it when his best girl swears.”

“He swears though,” even as you succumbed to the warmth of his hold you still tried to fight back in whatever way you could.

“I never said he wasn't a hypocrite, doll,” Bucky chuckled, the movement of his chest sending reverberations through you. He leant back, and cupped your face in his hands, wiping away the tears staining your cheeks. Resignation swept through you. You knew deep down that a few simple words would never change Steve's mind, you had just hoped that Bucky wasn't the same. “Does that mean you'll help me make breakfast?”

You nodded reluctantly, watching his eyes fill with light once again. As much as you hated doing something for them, at least it gave you something to occupy your thoughts with. You worked together and you observed him carefully. Beneath the henley he wore, you could only see the hand of his metal arm but you could see the plates shift as he moved his arm. It was the most advanced prosthetic you had ever seen. He must have caught you staring because he paused, meeting your eyes with a slightly haunted expression.

He turned so that he fully faced you and pulled his arm out of the sleeve, revealing a sliver of his torso and the entirety of his arm. You could clearly see the puckered scars where the metal met the skin, what you knew must have been years of pain. Hesitantly you placed your hand on the arm, feeling the gears whirr beneath the metal plates as if they were real muscles tensing beneath your hand. “I'll tell you one day, doll,” he promised, his voice soft and sad.

It was at that moment that Steve entered the cabin, pausing in the doorway as he saw your moment. His eyes narrowed slightly at how easily you'd given in to Bucky and not him, but he shrugged it off, he knew what Bucky was doing. Nevertheless, the moment was touching to witness. 

He swept forward and stole you from Bucky, his arms wrapping tight around your torso as he pressed his chest against your back. Your hands grappled at his, freezing cold from his swim in the lake, and he pressed his cheek to your head. “Morning, sweetheart,” he practically cooed into your ear. 

“Morning, Steve,” you said back, your body rigid in his grip. 

He released you, moving over to investigate the food that had been prepared. “Smells good,” he commented, slinging his arm around Bucky's shoulders.

“Yeah, well, I had help,” Bucky looked to you. Steve practically beamed at you.

“Whatever,” you grumbled, snatching your plate from the counter and sitting down at the island with it. The dining table was much too far, the pain in your ankle increasing the longer you stood on it. It was lucky that you were so adept at masking your pain – if either of them knew how much it really hurt to stand on your sprained ankle they would probably confine you to the bed.

Bucky and Steve followed your lead and ate at the island with you. You ignored whatever they were saying, already too bored by this ritual, until Steve's fingers were clicking in front of your eyes. “You're very quiet, doll,” he said, “What's on your mind?”

You hesitated to answer. Aside from the many thoughts you had about your situation, there was one other factor that had yet to be considered and it was itching at you. You just worried about what their reactions would be. You took a deep breath and opened your mouth, keeping your eyes trained on the table, “Did you -” you hesitated, “did you grab any of my medicines from my apartment?”

The look shared between Bucky and Steve was one of panic. You'd never had any health problems before, it hadn't occurred to Steve that you might now be on medication.

“No, did we need to?” Bucky asked carefully.

You shook your head, feeling a knot in your chest. “No, no, it's fine. Just some iron tablets.”

Even before the serum, Steve had been very perceptive. Lacking strength, speed and health, he relied on his mind to get him as far as he did. He was, by nature, exceedingly observant. The serum only heightened his abilities. He could sense a lie from a mile away.

“Doll,” his hand landed atop yours. Your eyes snapped up to meet his, icy blue and stern. Your pulse raced. “What aren't you telling us?”

You considered continuing with the lie, but Steve had already caught you and it wouldn't be worth risking his wrath by dragging it out. “I'm on the pill,” you admitted, waiting nervously for his reaction.

His jaw clicked. His eyes darkened. His hand tightened over yours, causing your bones to press together painfully. “Explain yourself,” he ordered, voice low and controlled.

“It's not what you think,” you said immediately, “I was prescribed them a couple of years ago for my cramps.”

Steve cocked an eyebrow at you, sceptical. “You've never had bad enough cramps for that in your life, doll,” he denied, hand crushing yours.

“Well I get them now!” it was the frantic tone of your voice that sealed the deal. Steve would not believe you on this.

“Really?” he leant forwards, “Or have you been sleeping around like a little harlot?”

You were taken aback by his tone, visibly recoiling and trying to pull your hand from his grip. A glance across the table told you that Bucky wouldn't help you, even if he had a grimace on his face from Steve's choice of words. 

“No, Steve, I swear,” you said fearfully, heart hammering in your chest. He said nothing, continuing to search your eyes until Bucky nudged him and he let you go. 

Steve pulled back and scowled. “It doesn't matter now,” he said, cutting into his food, knife scraping against the plate, “You won't be needing them.”

At his words, your eyes stung and tears gathered in your peripheral vision. You swallowed heavily, fixing your eyes on the mountain range beyond the window, trying your hardest to smother the rising rage and hysteria. He was right, it didn't matter. You'd be gone before that became an issue. All you needed was a way to contact Tony, though your chances of that seemed very slim at the moment. 

When you managed to get a hold on your emotions, you looked back to the scene in front of you to find Bucky watching you warily. You met his eyes with a hard glare.

Your hands were balled into fists around your knife and fork. You considered the knife for a moment, eyes transfixed on the blade as you turned it in your hand. It wasn't sharp enough, you determined, and even if it had been, armed with only a butter knife you were no match for two super soldiers. 

Of course, this realisation only came after Steve and Bucky had both clocked what you'd been considering. Before you'd even had a chance to loosen your grip on the knife, Steve had leapt from his seat and was twisting your arm painfully behind your back. The knife clattered to the floor. “What the hell, Steve?” you cried. 

“You're determined to ruin breakfast aren't you, doll?” he sighed, releasing you almost as immediately as you released the knife. He bent down to retrieve it, keeping it away from you as you rubbed your shoulder and glared at him. He sat down again, eyes trained on you, and began to cut the rest of your food with his own knife and fork. Your cheeks burned at the indignation, you had only looked at the knife. 

The rest of breakfast passed slowly and uncomfortably. Steve offered to wash the dishes after the meal, telling you that you needed to rest your ankle. Clearly he'd noticed that it was causing you more pain than you'd been letting on. You nodded, feeling subdued. “Doll?” Bucky came up to your side, spinning your stool so that you were facing him. His hands lightly grasped your chin, his thumb running along your trembling lower lip. “It's alright,” his voice was comforting, “you'll learn soon.”

You hated that you were actively leaning into his touch. His smile was warm and genuine, whereas Steve's was unsettling and filled with the same stern glower you'd become so accustomed to. Bucky was treating you much like Steve had when you'd first met. 

“Come on, doll,” he said, hoisting you out of the chair and carrying you over to the sofa. When you looked at him in accusation, he said, “Your ankle is looking more bruised by the minute, do you think I'm going to let you continue to injure yourself?”

You scowled at him but said nothing as he sat down on the sofa and arranged your body so that you were sitting on his lap with your back pressed against the arm of the sofa. Before long, Steve had finished washing and had pulled a chair from nearby and placed it directly in front of you. He sat down, clasping his hands together above his knees and leaning forwards. You instinctively moved back into Bucky. 

“Doll, I'm going to ask you a question and I want you to be fully honest. Can you do that for me?” he asked, eyes boring into yours. Bucky squeezed his arms around you and you nodded, rushing out a response. Steve smiled as if to abate your nerves but there was no warmth to it. He took your hand in his, his fingers running across your knuckles. You swallowed nervously. 

“Who helped you escape?”

The question was abrupt and weighed heavily upon your shoulders. Your mouth opened and closed for a few moments as you struggled to think of a response. Hadn't he just told you that none of that mattered now that you were back with him?

He continued to stare at you as your mind ran blank. You avoided his eyes as much as you could and your mouth was dry. Eventually you forced yourself to meet his eyes and quickly said, “I had no help.”

Steve clearly didn't believe you. In his mind you'd been lying since he brought you back. His hand tightened around yours and just as you felt the bones grating against each other, the distinct ring of a phone broke the silence. Your heart jolted as Steve pulled away and rummaged in his pocket for the phone. He glanced at the screen and frowned, looking up at you and putting a finger to his lips before raising the phone to his ear. You opened your mouth to ask who it was, but Bucky immediately covered your mouth with his hand. You tried to pull his hand away but your struggle was futile.

“Tony,” Steve greeted coldly, tensions still high after all of these years. Your eyes widened exponentially and your breathing deepened as you realised who was on the other end of the phone. Steve noticed, and so did Bucky. “What do you need?” You couldn't hear his response, but you knew that both Steve and Bucky could judging by the scowls on their faces. “Sorry, Tones, I've not heard anything about any disappearances. Buck and I are taking a couple of weeks away.” Another pause. “Yeah, I'll let you know if we can make it. Thanks for the invite.” Another pause. “Bye.”

Steve hung up the call and put his phone away. He fixed his dark eyes on you and took your hands back in his. Bucky removed his hand from your mouth. “Doll,” Steve started, voice low and full of threat, “Was it Tony who helped you leave?”

Your world was spinning. You couldn't tell him, it was an unspoken promise between you and Tony that you would never let Steve know who helped you. But the panic was clearly painted on your face, betraying you. You looked to Bucky for help but his face was passive and unreadable. You were faced with Steve's wrath and it appeared you would have no help from Bucky. 

Eventually, you gave in. You sighed heavily, looking into the fire and desperately avoiding his eyes as if that would lessen your treachery. “Yes,” you breathed.

You didn't see the dark flurry of unrestrained rage that flickered across Steve's face, only felt as he pulled you in for a kiss. His mouth melded with yours, hot and wet and suffocating. He pulled away with almost a look of satisfaction, “Good girl,” he stroked your hair, “I'll reward you for your honesty later,” he promised. You restrained your grimace at the implication. Steve leaned over you and kissed Bucky just as he had you. Either it was a particularly long kiss or they were discussing something, because it was a good few moments before Steve pulled away. 

“I'll see you later, doll,” he promised, before leaving the cabin. A moment later the rumble of a car engine was heard and he was gone.

Leaving you and Bucky alone. 

He chuckled, cupping your face in his. “We've got a while to ourselves now, doll,” he grinned. His hand slipped beneath your thigh. Your heart raced. He tipped your chin up with his finger and your lips met briefly, soft and light. He pulled away with a warm smile that you were sure had it been a different context would have made you swoon. “Whatever will we do?” he whispered salaciously.

Well, Bucky had a few ideas in mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think, thanks for reading!


	6. The Hot-Tub

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: non-con/dub-con sex, emotional manipulation

Steve didn't return until the next evening, leaving Bucky with plenty of time to have you to himself. When the door shut behind Steve as he stormed from the cabin, you felt a heavy weight being lifted from your shoulders and you could breathe easier with him gone.

Your back was pressed firmly against Bucky's chest and when he felt your body naturally relax into him, he let out a hearty chuckle. You craned your neck to look into his eyes, deep and swirling with unreadable emotion, and swallowed heavily, his words from before bouncing around in your mind. The grin remained on his lips but his eyes were so warm and inviting that you found it hard to imagine he could hurt you, no matter what your brain was screaming at you.

“I need to go to the toilet,” you said quietly, pushing your body slightly away from him in an effort to force a distance between you.

“Alright, doll,” he helped you to your feet, hand lingering on your elbow, “I'll help you get there.”

You screwed your face up and backed away, “No, I can go to the toilet by myself.”

Bucky held his hands up and put on a placating expression. “I know you can, doll, you're just so fragile and your ankle-”

“My ankle is just bruised, Bucky,” you insisted, knowing that from the weight you were able to place on it, it couldn't have been sprained as they'd originally thought. “And I'm certainly _not _some fragile doll, you don't need to treat me like I am.”

Bucky narrowed his eyes at you but that was the only outward indicator of his rising temper. “Okay,” he breathed, “I'm sorry.”

Your breaths came fast and heavy as a result of your outburst and your eyes widened at his acquiescence. “Thanks,” you murmured, heading in the direction of the bathroom. His eyes followed you as you went but he said no more on the matter.

When you reached the bathroom, you locked the door, turned on the tap, sat against the door and wept. You wept for your betrayal of Tony, for the pain and trouble it might bring him and for the loss of hope it meant for you. Your mind conjured images of Steve hurting Tony in horrific ways, brutalising him for the simple crime of _helping you_, and you involuntarily let out a small sob.

Eventually you emerged from the bathroom, face red but no visible tear tracks or evidence of your emotional breakdown. Gingerly, you stepped over the threshold and into the main part of the cabin. The cabin was small and cosy with an open plan kitchen and living area, the only two closed off rooms being the bedroom and bathroom. There was no hall, only these three rooms. It was an incredibly modest home for two super-soldiers and you surmised that this couldn't have been their permanent residence.

Ignoring Bucky's gaze from the breakfast bar, you walked over to the large window overlooking the lake. It was a stunning view but the isolation of it all just reminded you how trapped you were. You looked over your shoulder at Bucky and boldly told him, “I'm going to go outside.”

Bucky nodded and placed his drink down, following you as you stepped out into the cold. The first time you'd left this cabin, you'd exited on the east side facing nothing but snow and mountains. If you'd been more observant you'd have noticed the large copse of trees at the back of the cabin, the large porch and accompanying hot tub at the north side in view of the lake, and if you'd have left through the west door you would've seen the large Range Rover and the road it had taken to get here.

You stepped into a pair of short boots standing beside two larger pairs, seemingly waiting for you. They were your size and fit perfectly, shielding your socked feet from the cold. Bucky copied you, taking one of the other pairs. A heavy weight settled over your shoulders and you felt the soft fabric of one of their coats swathing your frame. Bucky wore no coat, only a shirt, so you surmised that it must have been his.

“Do you ever use that?” you pointed to the hot tub.

Bucky smiled at your inquisitiveness. “Sometimes. Want to use it tonight?” The look on his face was mischievous and you had the sense that there was a hidden meaning in his words. Nevertheless, you nodded enthusiastically. He grinned back at you and leant over to begin the process to heat it up. It had clearly been used recently as there wasn't much in the way of cleaning or preparation that Bucky needed to do.

You wandered over to the shoreline, a path in the snow having already been cleared by Steve. The water was icy cold and you had no clue how even with the warmth he exuded that he could have found swimming in such temperatures _pleasant_. Your eyes landed on a wooden pier stretching out into the water and you immediately set out for it, reaching the end of the pier and seating yourself on the cold ground. The murky depths of the water stared back at you.

Bucky settled beside you and you leant into his warmth, your teeth chattering too much for you to consider doing anything other than that. You sat there in silence for a while, enjoying the tranquillity the ripples in the water gave to you. For the first time since getting here, you felt at peace. Not even the company of one of your captors could dampen the feeling of calm that had settled over you.

You closed your eyes and sighed heavily, content and warm from Bucky's embrace. He gave off enough heat for the cold not to bother you, all it did was bite at your cheeks till they were a bright pink. At some point Bucky had pulled a hat from the pocket of the jacket you were wearing and pulled it over the top of your head to provide you some extra warmth. Your breathing slowed as his arm stretched around your waist, your cheek resting on his shoulder, and the sound of the waves and his gentle heart beat lulled you into a peaceful sleep.

Bucky held you until you awoke. He had shifted you so that you were in a position which provided to you the most warmth you could get from his body, with you sitting between his legs and your body fully resting against his chest. His hands ran through your hair, playing with the soft tendrils as he rested his chin on the crown of your head.

He must have been holding you for at least an hour before you slowly came back to your senses. “Did I fall asleep?” your voice was tired and groggy and made Bucky smile.

“For a bit,” his hands loosened around you as you shifted, moving slightly away from him. “You must be real tired, doll.”

You stiffened in his arms. “Probably because of all the drugs you've been giving me,” you grumbled.

Bucky laughed so light-heartedly that it reinvigorated the flame that had been slowly dying inside of you. His words from earlier in the day rang in your mind. _“It's not all about what you want, doll,” _he'd said as you pleaded with him.

“Relax,” Bucky said softly with a lilt to his tone, “They'll be out of your system by now.”

You shook your head. Bucky must have been truly blind. You couldn't decide if it would be worse for him to be wilfully ignorant rather than just plainly blind to your situation. You didn't _care _whether or not the drugs were _still _in your system, you cared that they had been in your system at all. Was Bucky really so short sighted that he couldn't see your deep internal unrest?

With an angry huff, you clambered out of his arms and pushed yourself to your feet. You set off down the pier but you didn't get far before Bucky's hand closed around your arm. “Are you angry with me, doll?” his voice was small, as if he was terrified that you might say yes.

You whipped back around to look at him incredulously. “You're just as bad as Steve, Bucky,” you told him with a pained expression. His eyes widened as his grip tightened around your arm, “You preach that you only want to keep me safe but...you don't see what this is doing to me, Bucky.”

Bucky's eyes were sad, his brows furrowed and his mouth hanging open. He gave you a tug and pulled your body to face him fully. “Then tell me what I can do to make things better,” he implored.

Your heart skipped a beat. Was this your chance? You lifted your hands to cup his face and met his heavy gaze, “Let me go, Bucky. Let me leave and live my life the way I want to live it, _free_. Please, Bucky.”

Bucky looked heartbroken but as you spoke, his expression darkened. His hands came to grip your wrists by his face and his eyes narrowed at you, “I can't let you leave, doll, not now and not ever.”

You didn't cry this time, not when his hands tightened around your wrists like cuffs and hard enough to leave a bruise, not when he told you your sentence, not when he placed a burdening kiss against your slackened lips. When he pulled away, your expression was full of fury and rage the likes of which he had yet to see in you.

“So be it,” you whispered and he, thinking you had given in, let you go. The moment he did, you brought your knee up and landed it between his thighs. Bucky doubled over in pain but you knew that with him it would only be short lasting and with his near perfect reflexes, he would be on you in a moment. Before he even lifted his head, you used the full force of your strength to push him off the pier and into the water.

Bucky sank immediately, his weight acting against him as he attempted to overcome his shock at the turn of events. You'd nearly fallen in after him, the momentum almost pushing your body over the end of the pier, but luckily you stayed dry. You knew you had very limited time before Bucky's soldier instincts kicked in so you took off immediately, not entirely sure what had come over you and what on earth you thought you were doing. You _knew _you couldn't get away, but perhaps there was something hidden in the trees that could have been to your advantage. Maybe you just had to hold out until Tony sent someone to rescue you.

You'd made it back into the cabin by the time you heard Bucky pull himself from the water and thunder across the pier. You went straight for the knife block and pulled out the largest one, barely stopping as you ran through the cabin and out through the back entrance. In the back of your mind you wondered why there were so many damn doors in this tiny cabin.

It didn't take Bucky very long to figure out that you weren't hiding somewhere in the cabin, but by the time he'd checked all three rooms it had given you enough time to run into the copse of trees to find a hiding spot. To your luck, the shoes you were wearing had very good grip and that was perhaps the only reason you hadn't slipped and broken a bone.

The covering of snow wasn't as deep as it was outside the woodland and as such, it made it harder for your footprints to be seen. Your heart hammering in your chest, you ran through the forest and found a hollow tree that you were able to squeeze your body into. You held the knife to your chest, the blade pointing outward, and tried to steady your breathing. All the while you cursed yourself. This wasn't a good idea and you knew it.

You heard his footsteps loud and heavy. “_Doll_...” he drawled, his voice more menacing than you had heard it until this point. Your heart was in your throat and you squeezed your eyes closed, heavily regretting your decision. “Come on out, doll,” Bucky cooed, his voice growing in volume as he drew closer.

He was the predator and you were the prey.

“Doll, if you come out now I won't be _too _angry,” his voice was cold, colder even than the icy waters you had just pushed him into.

His footsteps grew louder and louder until eventually they stopped and a shadow loomed in front of you. Blindly, you thrust the knife forward but in a swift motion, Bucky caught your wrist and pulled the knife from your hand. Your eyes snapped open as he hauled your body out from your hiding spot and threw you over his shoulder.

“Let me go, Bucky!” you screamed at him, fists banging against his back. “You're both delusional, this isn't _legal_!”

“Save your breath for later, doll, you'll be needing it,” he told you and you blanched, terrified to know the meaning behind his words. He walked swiftly and soon you were back in the cabin where Bucky made a stop to place the knife back in its block and pull something which you could not see from a drawer and bury deep into his pocket.

“Put me down, Bucky,” you cried in fury. “I won't apologise, not this time!”

He did put you down, but only once he had carried you out onto the front porch. You'd barely managed to get your footing when his hand snaked around your throat and roughly pinned you to the wall behind you. You gasped for breath and met his eyes in horror as his grip tightened so much that you could barely breath. Your hands clawed at him for respite. His grip didn't slacken.

“B-b-bucky-y,” you whined, desperately inhaling what you could. His face loomed over yours, wild eyed and glowering. Whatever illusions you'd had surrounding him shattered in that instant. Sure, you'd been scared in his presence before but this was _different_. You were entirely at his mercy, knowing he could snap your neck or cut off your breathing at any moment. This was not the man who'd comforted you after Steve punished you, or perhaps this was who he had been all along. Tears poured from your eyes and ran down your face in rivulets.

“Try to escape again and I'll have to break your ankles,” he said, eyes boring into your eyes. You had no doubt that his words were nought but the truth and a sob caught in your throat, the fear overwhelming you. “Do you understand?” You nodded the best you could with his hand wrapped around your throat, desperate to do anything that could curb his anger.

His hand slackened and slid down to your, still holding you to the wall but allowing you to breath. You spluttered as you tried to catch your breath, hiccuping and sobbing at the same time. Bucky waited until you'd somewhat recovered before his hand left your sternum and he was suddenly engulfing you in his embrace. “I wish you didn't do that doll, I can't stand to hurt you but you have to learn your place,” he said into your ear as he swayed you side to side in a mock show of affection. You believed none of it even if you were sure that he absolutely meant what he was saying.

To your surprise, Bucky didn't demand an apology. He continued to hold you lovingly to his body, whispering sweet nothings into your ear as if he hadn't just forcibly dragged you back to the cabin, choked you and threatened you. Your perception of him had changed greatly in just a few short minutes.

“I'll have to tell Steve, of course,” he told you, stopping his motions. Your breath hitched and you completely froze in his arms. Just as the panic began to settle in, Bucky procured a solution. “Unless, of course, you can show me that you've learned your lesson?”

You pulled back, looking at him with wide, fearful eyes. “What do you mean?”

Bucky's eyes flickered to the hot tub, now steaming with heat, and then back down at you. “Strip for me, doll,” he softly demanded, stroking the back of his finger down your cheek. He smiled, so dazzling that you momentarily forgot your situation, and cupped your cheek with his hand, “You look so cute when you're scared.”

He stepped back, giving you a bit of room. You shrunk in on yourself, knowing what you had to do but not sure if you had the guts to do it. “Are we going in the hot tub?” you looked just like a doe caught in the headlights and Bucky couldn't get enough of it.

“Yes we are, doll. Can you strip for me?” his voice was so warm and inviting that before your brain could catch up with you, you were already pulling the hat from your head and sliding the jacket down your arms.

His eyes were on you the entire time you stripped yourself of your clothes until you standing before him, shivering in your underwear. “Bra and panties, too,” he said with a salacious smile. Your eyes widened a tiny fraction and an easy grin spread across his face, “Come on, doll, I've seen it all before. You don't need to worry.”

His words fell on deaf ears and you held your arms against your chest, trembling from the cold. Your breath was visible in the air as you exhaled shakily. Bucky sighed and moved closer to you, “Let me help you, doll,” his lips brushed the shell of your ear as he stretched his strong arms around you and undid the clasp of your bra. It fell loose around you and he carefully guided the straps down your arms, fingers lightly brushing against your cold skin. You trembled, whether it was from the cold or the fear you couldn't discern, and he hooked his thumbs round the sides of your panties, tugging so harshly on the fabric that it tore on either side and fluttered to the ground, leaving you utterly bare.

“That's it,” he smiled. He rested his hands beneath your breasts, thumbs brushing over your nipples as he admired you. You continued to shiver in his hold and he snapped out of his daze, taking you by the arm and guiding you over to the hot tub. You wanted to tear your arm from his grip, his touch burning you like fire.

You climbed into the hot tub, immediately submerging your entire body in the now hot water. For a moment you had to fight the shock in your body at the sudden change of temperature and when your mind stopped spinning, you looked up to find Bucky's figure looming just behind you, close enough for you to catch sight of him in your peripheral vision. His hand settled on your shoulder and he pulled your body towards him so that you rested against the edge of the tub on one of the seats, just deep enough so that the water covered the tops of your breasts.

“I'm sorry, doll,” Bucky said with a heavy air of reluctance to his voice as his hands snaked down your arms. The tone of his voice immediately sent you into panic and you thrashed against him but, quick as lightening, his hands seized your wrists and swiftly brought them above your head.

“Bucky, Bucky, what are you doing?!” you screeched, “Please don't!” you pleaded with him, not sure what you were pleading him not to do but resistant nonetheless.

Bucky's sigh was loud and heavy, hitting the back of your neck as he crouched behind you. He held your wrists in his metal hand and with the other he fished for whatever it was that he had put in his pocket as he'd carried you through the cabin. You heard the distinct jingling of a metal chain and your heart dropped. You continued to struggle fervently but the moment your wrists were encased in metal, you went limp and the fight died in you. A sob built in your throat but you held it back.

When you heard Bucky move away, you glanced up to your wrists being held behind your head. The bastard had handcuffed you, looping the chain through one of the handrails of the hot tub and rendering your arms useless. You closed your eyes and tilted your head back, counting your breaths as you tried to keep a panic attack at bay.

You'd managed to space out for a moment, imagining that you were back in your apartment with a candle lit and a mug of hot chocolate in your hand, until you heard the telltale thud of clothes hitting the ground and the splashing of water telling you that he was in the hot tub with you.

“I didn't wanna have to do that, doll, I hope you'll forgive me,” was the first thing he said. You kept your eyes closed, desperately trying to ignore him, until his fingers traced your cheekbones and your eyes shot open. While your own were wide and fearful, his were hungry and predatory. You didn't know how you hadn't noticed it before, but when his eyebrows tilted up and his lips pouted ever so slightly into that lost puppy expression, your fears were slightly abated. Through your haze of emotions you understood that while Bucky might also have been as _fucked up _as Steve, this man did genuinely think that he loved you. His eyes bore into yours adoringly, “Will you forgive me, doll?”

“Only if you don't hurt me,” you told him and that lost puppy look reappeared.

“I would never, doll,” he told you earnestly, as if he hadn't just been choking you. “Are you ready to show me that you've learned your lesson? I know you don't want me to have to tell Stevie what you did.”

He cupped your face softly in his hand, his other going beneath the water to settle on the curve of your waist. The contrast between this Bucky and the one who'd held you to the wall by your throat was startling, and it was worryingly easy to focus only on the Bucky who showed you affection. You sniffled and nodded, gulping heavily.

The smile that filled his face was infectious and had you not been in such a situation, you would have found yourself smiling also. Your heart was hammering in your chest and he could no doubt hear it. “It's alright, doll,” he cooed as he leaned over and pressed his face into your neck, lips grazing across your skin and up to your jaw.

Bucky's chest pressed against firmly yours as his weight settled over you, the stiff peaks of your nipples pressing into the hard muscle of his chest. He rested his metal hand against the rim of the tub and the other hand wandered down from your waist to lift your thigh and hitch it against his hip, forcing himself between your now spread legs. The position was so similar to the one you'd been in when you'd showered together, but then his hands didn't wander and now they were heavy with want. You would have made a noise of protest at the feeling of his hard cock pressing against the folds of your pussy had he not chosen that moment to claim your lips.

When before he had been gentle and his lips soft against you, now he was rough and unforgiving as he crushed himself against you. He caught your lower lip between his teeth and you could've sworn he'd bitten hard enough to draw blood, but all of a sudden you found that you didn't care, not when a pulsating sensation began to grow in your core as he ground himself against you. The head of his cock slipped between the lips of your pussy as he gave shallow thrusts, brushing across the sensitive bud of your clit and igniting a fire within you that had your toes curling and eliciting a small whine from your throat.

The corners of his mouth tilted into a grin that you could feel against your lips. “_Good girl,_” he praised, voice thick and gravelly with need, “That's it, doll.” You felt the head of his cock push into you slightly and you seized in momentary panic, your nails digging into your palms hard enough to bruise. He was quick to reassure you, even as the gyrating of his hips grew in pace and his fingers dug ruthlessly into the back of your thigh, cooing at you to tell you how good you were doing.

Bucky's metal hand cupped your chin, pulling your face down so that you were looking him directly in the eyes as he abruptly drove himself into you. Your eyes widened for a fraction of a second as you felt his thick girth slide into you before you clenched your eyes shut and yelled out in pain. He was _big_, just as big as Steve and maybe even thicker. You barely had a moment to get accustomed to the feeling of Bucky's length inside you before he began thrusting, hips brutally slamming into you, and that shout of pain quickly turned into an unintelligible moan of pleasure as the head of his cock slipped over your g-spot.

You didn't know what it was that possessed you, perhaps it was the haze that took over your mind or just pure desperation, but you suddenly leaned forwards and pressed your lips against his. You were met with a heady groan and a particularly harsh thrust as Bucky took control of the kiss, metal hand moving to cup the back of your neck. He forced his tongue into your mouth and you sank into the kiss, letting him have his wicked way with you.

Your body was betraying you in every single way but at this moment you couldn't find it in yourself to care. It was easier to give in and at least get some pleasure out of it rather than continue to hurt yourself by struggling. Somewhere in the deep recesses of your mind you knew what was happening to you, how their manipulation was slowly taking a hold of you, but you felt as if there was nothing you could do to stop it. So for now you just let it happen, knowing all the while that you didn't truly have a choice.

As your pleasure grew, you became lost to the world. Bucky continued to relentlessly pound into you, hands gentle but movements rough, and you could hear nothing but the splashing of the water and his animalistic groans in your ear. You couldn't even hear your own thoughts, the only thought on your mind an image of Bucky's face as the intense pleasure took a hold of your senses. Bucky came a moment before you, unloading a hot stream of come inside you with a cry of your name that had you coming with him, thighs tightly clenched around him as you tried to bring him impossibly closer. He continued to sloppily thrust into you to coax you both through your orgasms, breathing low and heavy until eventually you both stilled.

Your mind was blank as you stared up at the darkening sky, the brightest of the stars already shining back at you. You were faintly aware of the fact that he'd just emptied himself into you and that you weren't on contraception but you stored that worry away for later, content just to sit there and let the effects of your orgasm wash away with the water. As Bucky pulled out of you, your chest heaved suddenly and a broken smile spread across your face, tears pouring down over your cheeks. You didn't even know why you were crying.

Bucky cradled you to his chest until your tears stopped and when they did, he moved off of you and sat beside you. His fingers caressed your cheek, wiping away the tear tracks. You rolled your head and looked at him, unsure of who you were looking at and who he was seeing back. More than anything you were confused, confused by your own feelings and confused by his changing personality, but you weren’t scared of him even though you knew you should have been. You weren't yet sure if that would be to your detriment or not.

Bucky's arms stretched above you and he freed your wrists, slowly bringing your arms back down and submerging your aching wrists in the water. You let out a hiss as the hot water stung the sore skin but soon the warmth took away what pain there had been. Bucky manoeuvred himself to sit behind you so that you'd rest on his lap, his broad palm pulling your body back into his chest and his chin resting atop your head.

“You did so good, doll,” he murmured, “I'm proud of you, darling.” You wanted to be annoyed by the pandering but you kept your lips sealed. “I hate having to scare you like that,” he told you, fingers tracing the reddened skin around your neck. “See? It's much better when you simply accept your feelings towards us,” his placed a kiss on the crown of your head. “I love you, doll.”

The air hung heavy between you. You wondered if he expected you to reciprocate but you decided that he couldn't have been _that_ delusional.

“What now, Bucky?” you asked, hand toying with a ring on his finger. “Will the...the _three of us _just live here forever?”

Bucky chuckled, “Of course not, doll. Once you're settled with us we can go back to New York, or anywhere you want. We could go to Paris or Rome, would you like that, doll?”

You smiled faintly. It was a nice vision and you wanted to like it. One day, years ago, you would've loved the idea. Now, it was hard to get excited at anything when everything seemed so bleak. Nevertheless, you said, “Yeah, that'd be nice.”

Bucky's arms tightened around you to a comforting embrace. “Anything you want, doll. The past can be forgotten, we'll start anew. But, for now, you just keep being a good girl for me and Stevie. Can you do that, doll?” You had no choice but to nod.

_And how good you've been, doll, _Steve thought to himself miles and miles away, eyes focused on the scene he held in his palm. You were completely oblivious to the little camera watching from the corner of the porch, entirely unaware that Steve had witnessed the entire of the day's events. He smiled and tucked himself back into his trousers, wiping his palm on a cloth and stepping out of the car. The ostentatious logo of Stark Industries shined back at him through the dark and he smirked. _Time for a little chat, Tony, man to man._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i suck at writing sex scenes
> 
> anyway, i'm back! hope y'all enjoyed and sorry for the wait.
> 
> please let me know what you think in the comments and any kudos are greatly appreciated, love you guys :)


	7. An Old Friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: nothing in particular, just general poor treatment of the reader and references to the events of the last chapter

_You couldn’t stop your hands from shaking as you worked behind the bar, pouring cocktail after cocktail. Your heart was going a mile a minute and you barely registered the sleazy compliments and drinks orders you were getting from the men on the other side of the counter. Every time you raised your eyes you found Steve’s dark eyes watching you from across the room, but when you blinked he was gone._

_It was your first day back on the job. You’d spent a week with Tony and Pepper before you ventured back out into the real world. You couldn’t stay with them much longer in case Steve came looking for you there and you refused the mountains of cash Tony had offered you, saying he’d helped you enough. In hindsight you probably should have accepted it but you craved independence more than anything._

_You still kept in contact with Tony. He sent you a message or called you every couple of days with an update on the situation with Steve. It had been two weeks now since you left him and apparently he’d gotten past the stage of disbelief and was now beginning to mourn for you. You’d seen the pictures of him on social media that had somehow leaked, looking devastated and as if he hadn’t slept in weeks. Guilt gnawed at you and your heart hurt for him and it took everything within you to remember exactly why you had left him._

_Now you feared that Steve would search the club in hopes that he might find you here, or perhaps he would come here for the same reason he had when he first found you. You’d been on shift for a couple of hours now and it was just the same as before, the same girls and the same boss. Your tips were piling up and it was easy to remember how to make the drinks. The only thing missing was Steve and his domineering presence._

_“Hey, can I talk to you in the back for a moment?”_

_It took you a moment to realise that someone was talking to you. You turned your head to find Theo, the pimp, standing by you. You gulped and nodded. He waved at one of the serving girls and she hurried over, taking your spot behind the counter as you went into the back with Scott._

_Theo had always taken a liking to you. You’d only ever worked on the bar and it was him you had to thank for that. You knew that he wanted to see you up on the stage with the other girls, that he wanted you to wear even less than you did, but that he had enough respect for you that he never asked you to do so. He’d given you your old job back with no questions asked. All of your money was paid in cash at the moment to avoid anyone tracking you._

_“Is everything alright?” he asked you, lightly grasping your elbow and steering you into a quiet area. “You seem very shaky today.”_

_“Yeah, yeah, I’m just nervous,” you told him, smiling meekly._

_Theo returned your smile._

_You had no illusions about Theo. He was a pimp and from what the girls had told you, he had a tendency to be a bit pushy when it came to the wealthier guests. He was sleazy and cared about money above all but his countenance was charming and friendly. You had never been victim to his forcefulness and had trouble relating those stories of him to the Theo you knew. Despite the fact that it was mandatory that the girls get tested every week for anything they might have contracted, Theo refused to sleep with any of them, despite often flirting with the girls. Cindy had suggested that he was so nice to you because he wanted to sleep with you. You weren’t really sure of what he wanted from you._

_“Listen, I get how difficult this is for you, but it’s only a short one tonight. Reckon you can hold out?” he said, still smiling. He was much taller than you, the same height as Steve but much lankier. His hair was pitch black and slicked back with grease. His green eyes were always on you._

_You knew you should’ve been wary of befriending a pimp like you had. The stories from the girls hadn’t really told you anything good but you were just desperate for a friend who had nothing to do with Steve._

_“I think so,” you nodded, “I can handle it, I’m just a bit shaky is all. Sorry, Theo.” There it was, that ingrained need to please._

_“Don’t worry ‘bout that, sweets,” his lips curled into an almost salacious smile, curving at one side and not at the other, and he winked at you. “I’m glad to have you back. Maybe this time don’t sprain anyone’s wrists, yeah?”_

_You giggled at his words. “I can’t promise anything, _sweets_.”_

_Theo made a face mocking offence, his hand over his heart. A warm feeling filled your chest. It was nice to laugh again._

***

You’d gone to sleep in Bucky’s arms, practically passed out. You awoke in the early hours with a sharp jolt that somehow didn’t wake him. There was a surprising amount of clarity in your mind when your eyes snapped open.

How foolish you had been, you thought, to trust him. Shouldn’t you have known by now that you couldn’t trust any of the men in your life? Trusting even Tony had been a stretch. You’d fled an abuser to work in a strip club and encountered all manner of men, from the rich pretending they were civilised to the dregs of society who saw women only as pieces of meat. By all accounts you should have recognised Bucky for a liar from the moment you met him.

Perhaps it was because you were desperate for a friend in a place of fear and isolation, someone who wouldn’t hurt you as Steve had. In the back of your mind you knew, had always known, that Bucky was just as bad. And yet you refused to believe it, even as he took advantage of you. But now, as you lay awake in the dark and trapped in a monster’s arms, you came to the realisation that he had been manipulating you the whole time, which had been precisely the reason you’d stayed with Steve for so long in the first place.

You knew very well what would happen when Steve came back. He’d try to guilt you and with Bucky’s aid he would have his way with you too. You knew that your petty attacks against either of them had been stupid and done nothing in your favour, only giving them an excuse to lay their hands on you. They were both so incredibly strong and still you fought them, only hurting yourself in the process. They had both killed and by all right you should be absolutely terrified by the both of them, and yet you still fought them like a petulant child. Whether this was a result of their manipulation or your messed up brain you didn’t know.

There would come a breaking point in the near future where your fighting would cease and they would completely possess you in body, mind and soul. Last night had been the first step towards that inevitable breaking point.

But it wasn’t inevitable, not really. You cast your mind back to when Tony had called. If there was anyone who was up to strength of Steve and Bucky it was Tony. So you had four choices: continue as you were and hope Tony would get to you before you exhausted yourself or they broke you; pretend to submit to Steve and Bucky until you could get a chance to speak to Tony; fight Steve and Bucky with every breath and hopefully escape; or completely disassociate.

If you were to escape, you needed to be smarter. You’d always been a little slow, it was the part of you that Steve had taken advantage of when you were first together. Without Tony you would never have had the urge to escape when you did. You were submissive in nature but confrontational when you were pushed to it.

You’d been far too nice to Bucky this whole time. Even as he hurt you. That ended now. You felt as if for the past few weeks you’d been living in some subdued state of shock. That ended now. The realisation that Bucky was just as fucked up as Steve reignited your desire to escape. You just had to be smarter about it.

The first step would be to contact Tony. If your previous attempts had told you anything, it was that you couldn’t escape on your own. You lamented your loss of autonomy but you knew this was about more than pride. You were stuck in a remote cabin with two super-soldiers. The only way to escape them on your own was to pull wool over their eyes and trick them, but that ran the risk of getting too comfortable with them. You needed someone from the outside to help you.

The only thing you knew for sure was that Steve and Bucky would not kill you. They would hurt you and take advantage of you but they would tell themselves that they were too in love with you to end your life. That would work well to your advantage. It didn’t matter if they caught you contacting Tony. You didn’t have to be secretive, you just had to speak to him. You could endure whatever punishment Steve or Bucky doled out on you just as long as it didn’t break you.

All you had to do was persevere. Someone would give in eventually and last night it had so very nearly been you. Things needed to change.

You laid awake in Bucky’s arms for the next three hours, plots and ideas running through your mind, until he awoke with a soft grunt. His arms tightened around you and pulled you impossibly closer, as if you were a teddy he was holding tight to his chest. The cold metal of his arm brushed against your bare midriff and your eyes drifted down to it. He’d killed with that arm. He’d choked you last night with that hand. He’d threatened to break your ankles.

But what did that matter really? As long as Tony got to you…you hoped you could handle it.

And as you stared at this arm that had been responsible for so much, you couldn’t help but think about how he had gotten it. How much pain had he gone through? Did it still pain him? Did he suffer trauma to this day from it? You were constantly conflicted between the two versions of Bucky he had shown you, torn between hating him and hurting for him.

Bucky stirred. You were hardly aware of him and still enough that Bucky thought you were still asleep until he sat up and noticed that your eyes were open.

“Morning doll,” he greeted, twisting his body so that he leant across your side, a finger turning your face towards him. He smiled at you with all the warmth he was capable of.

You said nothing. His smile faltered.

“Doll?” he asked, eyes narrowing in concern. Your eyes were slow to follow him, heavy from the tears you had shed the night before.

Again, you said nothing. You pushed his hand away as you sat up and his arm fell limply to his side. He watched you with a cautious gaze, almost in disbelief. Last night you had been so close to breaking. He’d envisioned a morning of domestic bliss.

You stood up, gathering the blanket around your naked body as you did so. Still not speaking you moved into the bathroom, opening the cabinet to rifle through the medicine supplies. Bucky watched you from the doorway and when you went to put two pills in your mouth, he shot forward and seized your wrist in a frighteningly tight grip.

Instinctively, you flinched, almost jumping out of your skin. The pills in your hand fell into the sink and the bottle clattered to counter, the pills spilling out across the counter and onto the floor.

“What the Hell!” you exclaimed, managing to yank your hand from his grip and turning to face him. Your nose was almost pressed against his chest he was so close.

Silently, he leant over you and picked up the pill bottle. You watched as he read the label and his shoulders visibly relaxed. Your eyes bore into his as he picked up two of the pills lying on the counter and offered them out to you, as if the last thirty seconds hadn’t happened. “Here you are, doll,” he smiled.

“What the Hell was that for?” you snapped, swiping the painkillers from his hand before he could take them back.

Bucky frowned, his lips pouting. There was no darkness behind his eyes yet. He was giving you the benefit of the doubt. “Language, doll,” he breathed. “You know Steve doesn’t like it.”

Ire rose up in you. “Fuck you both,” you bit back, not blinking as you forced yourself to stare into his eyes.

“What’s with you today, doll?” Bucky pressed, slowly but surely becoming more of the monster he’d displayed to you last night. “I thought you were finally learning to accept this.”

God, he sounded so _sad_. You couldn’t stand it.

You broke the eye contact, looking around the bathroom nervously. You took a deep breath, knowing your words would anger him. “Bucky, last night-”

“Was special,” he interrupted, a distant smile on his face. To you, it was perverse.

“_Special_?” you sneered, outraged but not surprised. “Bucky, you forced me to sleep with you last night.”

Bucky’s eyes narrowed. “Doll-”

“Don’t lie to me, Bucky, we both know what it was,” you bit. Your jaw was beginning to tremble, your eyes beginning to water. In all the time you’d been with Steve you’d never actually told yourself that he’d forced you. You were sure now though, and the realisation horrified you. “I hate you and I hate Steve. You’re both as complicit as each other.”

“Doll,” Bucky warned slowly, “Think about what you’re saying.”

“What?” you snapped, “Or you’ll break my ankles?”

Bucky’s eyes widened slightly. He lightly grasped your chin and looked at you with those puppy dog eyes you had become so familiar with. “Doll, I – I wouldn’t hurt you like that,” he stuttered.

There was no need to remind him of the very real threat he had given you last night. He was lying to your face now. Instead you quickly changed the course of the conversation. “Could you move? I need to use the bathroom.”

Bucky hesitated for a moment. You could tell there was a slew of things he wanted to say to you but he bit his tongue, eventually deciding to give you space. He stepped back and moved to the door. “Call for me if you need me,” he told you just before he close the door behind him.

“I won’t.”

***

“Steve, we weren’t expecting you,” Pepper blinked at Steve when she opened the door.

Steve flashed her a charming smile. “Hi, Pepper,” he greeted. He held no animosity towards her, only to Tony. His treatment of Bucky had caused a fracture in their friendship, and whatever help he had given you had completely destroyed it. “Tony in?”

“It’s late, Steve,” Pepper replied, closing the door just a little. Steve stuck his foot out and shouldered the door open. It swung open to reveal Tony making drinks by the bar. He looked up and his eyes widened in shock.

“Capsicle?” he said, almost in disbelief. “Thought you and Barnes were taking a couple of weeks away?”

Despite Pepper’s efforts to keep Steve at the threshold, Steve managed to enter the room. Keeping his cool, Tony poured another drink for Steve and pushed it towards him. Steve smiled in thanks.

“Yes, well, something came up.”

“Alright,” Tony said slowly. He said nothing else and waited for Steve to speak. The atmosphere was very tense and he met Pepper’s eyes behind Steve, telling her to keep back.

Steve sat at the bar, putting his head in his hands. He rubbed his eyes and sniffed, as if he’d been crying all evening. “I uh – you aren’t going to believe this but – well – _she’s alive_, Tony. I found out this morning and I, uh, I don’t know what to do. Did you know she was alive?”

Tony feigned ignorance. “Your fiance?” he asked, incredulous.

Steve nodded, nursing his drink.

“How?” Tony asked.

Steve shrugged. “I don’t know how. I was showing Bucky photos of her and apparently he ran into her a few days ago. Said it couldn’t have been anyone else.”

Tony took a deep breath. This was bad. He didn’t know whether or not Steve knew of his part, but if he didn’t he still knew you were alive. But what worried Tony most was your disappearance. You hadn’t answered any of his messages. He was considering going to your apartment tomorrow, but Steve being here now made him suspicious.

“That’s…big, Steve.”

“Yeah…yeah it is.” He took a big swig of his drink, and then cast his eyes up to Tony. There was a much more sinister look now. “And you don’t know anything about this?”

Tony shook his head. “You never even let me speak to her, capsicle,” he laughed dryly. It was true. Steve had always steered you away from him.

“Yeah?” Steve raised his brows, “'Cause she specifically told me that she’d met you.”

Tony paused. “She did?”

“Yep.”

Tony looked back at Pepper, silently asking her to leave. The door closed behind her softly, but she waited behind it with baited breath.

“Look, Steve-”

“She faked her death, didn’t she Tony?”

Tony inhaled sharply. “Are you trying to accuse me of something, Rogers?”

Steve narrowed his eyes. “That depends. Anything I should be accusing you of?”

“If that girl faked her death, Rogers, it was because she was _miserable_. If she really is alive, you should do her a favour and leave her alone,” Tony said spitefully.

“How would you know, Tony?” Steve scoffed, “You know nothing about our relationship. She needs me, always has.”

It was now Tony’s turn to scoff. “Insulting that you think so low of her, cap,” he stepped back and crossed his arms.

Steve stood. “You sound awfully protective of a girl you claim to have never met,” he said, nostrils flaring in silent rage. “Go on, tell me you had nothing to do with it.”

Tony paused for a moment, trying to figure out where this was going. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Rogers,” he said finally.

Steve smiled, not reaching his eyes, and laughed softly. “That’s all I needed to hear, Stark,” he pushed the drink along the counter, finished with it. He crossed the distance to the door and with his hand on the handle, turned back to Tony, “One last thing, Tony, stay out of my business. Bucky has an awfully short temper these days.”

Tony didn’t smile back. “Bye, Steve,” he said shortly.

Steve continued to smile. He opened the door and left with a spring in his step. Tony held his breath until he was gone.

***

“When will Steve be back?” you asked as you emerged from the bathroom. Bucky looked up at you from where he was sitting on the armchair by the fire, scrolling on his phone. His eyes tracked you as you moved into the kitchen. You found a box of cereal and moved towards the fire. He sunk a little into the chair and patted his lap, expecting you to climb onto him. You rolled your eyes and took a seat as far away as you could, wincing as you sat down cross-legged. You were a little sore down there.

Bucky hid his disappointment quickly. “Soon,” he lifted his phone and checked the time, “Real soon. Why? You been missing him, doll?”

“No, just wondering how much time I have before you two start smothering me again,” you replied, stuffing your hand into the cereal box. You hoped it was annoying him that you had no bowl.

Bucky locked his phone and put it in his pocket, giving you his full attention. “What’s with the attitude, doll?”

“If you have to ask then I’m not going to answer,” you said through a mouthful of food. Bucky sighed and crossed the distance between you. He tugged the cereal box from your hands and placed it on the side table. He stretched out a hand which you eyed warily.

“Come on, doll, I have something for you, since you were so good last night,” he said softly.

_Last night._ You were doing your best to put last night to the back of your mind.

“Doll, don’t make me drag you,” Bucky sighed when you refused to take his hand. You crossed your arms and leaned back into the chair. Bucky grumbled and stepped away, disappearing into the bedroom and coming back with a gift bag. You frowned at him when he sat on the arm of the chair beside you and handed the bag to you with a grin.

You took the bag warily. Would you even like what was inside?

His hand settled on your back. You delved a hand inside the bag, coming out with a small box. You looked at it curiously. “Huh,” you frowned as you opened it to reveal an MP3 player.

“There’s something else as well, doll,” Bucky nudged you. You put the MP3 player in your lap and pulled out a pair of top of the range headphones. “You never let me get you a new pair, doll.”

Ah yes, the time he 'bumped into you’ in the park and accidentally broke your headphones. “Well you didn’t give me much of a chance considering you kidnapped me the same night,” you said snarkily.

Bucky sighed. “Can’t you just accept the present, doll? I wanted you to have something to listen to. I preloaded some songs but if there’s anything you want specifically just let me know and I can add it.” Of course they wouldn’t give you anything that would give you the capacity to do that yourself, because with that you could find a way to contact Tony.

“Thanks,” you said meekly, not feeling all that grateful. “It doesn’t make me feel better about last night though, if that’s what this is for.”

Bucky held back a remark about the noises you’d made. He could tell you were sensitive about it and he really didn’t want to push it. This morning he’d just let you have your space but with the way things were going he’d probably need to correct your behaviour by the end of the day.

Before he could reply, he heard the rumble of a car approaching. You noticed it a couple of moments later than Bucky did.

_Steve was back._

You met Bucky’s eyes. “Try not to aggravate him, doll,” he warned quickly. “He loves you but he has a lot of built up hurt inside of him. Be nice, okay?” The only reply he got from you was a glare.

Standing up you slipped a pair of slippers on and made your way over to the door, swinging it open and stepping out into the cold. After you’d showered this morning you’d reluctantly put one of Steve’s jumpers on (you couldn’t help it, it was just so cold out and his jumpers had always been so cosy) and a pair of jeans, so you were somewhat protected from the cold but it still hit you all the same. Bucky followed you out onto the porch and wrapped his arms around you to keep you warm.

You shrugged him off, watching as Steve pulled up outside of the house. He was barely out of the car before you were striding over to him. “Where’s Tony? What did you do to him?” you demanded angrily.

“Hey doll,” he cracked a wide smile at the sight of you, immediately sweeping you up in his arms. You struggled and tried to push him away but he held you firm in a hug. “You been a good girl for Buck?”

“The best,” Bucky interrupted, meeting Steve’s eyes with a mischievous smile. You still had no idea that Steve had seen _everything_ from the night before.

“Oh yeah?” Steve said. “That’s what I like to hear.”

You pushed at Steve. “What – did – you – do – to – Tony?” you demanded.

Steve looked down at you and suddenly his expression became much darker. “Doll, I don’t want you to mention his name again. I’ve had a long night, I just want to relax with my two favourite people. We can talk about things later.”

“Fuck sake,” you grumbled. You waited for him to say 'language, doll’ but it never came. When you looked up at him he was frowning at you.

“What’s with this animosity, sweetheart?”

Bucky came up behind you, pressing his front against your back and sandwiching you between them. He tucked a piece of hair behind your ear. “Our doll seems to be having a little rebellion,” he filled him in. “All sorts of bad language being thrown around.” His tone was still jovial and you hoped that was good for you.

“It’s not a 'little rebellion’,” you rebutted, “You fuckers are-”

Steve’s hand very suddenly underside of your jaw in a near bruising grip. “Doll!” he snapped, “You better watch your language because if I hear you curse one more time I’m going to bend you over this car bonnet and I won’t be as gentle as Bucky was last night.”

The rebellion inside of you died a little death.

“You – you know?” you stammered, cheeks red with mortification.

“I _watched_,” Steve clarified, feeling you gulp against his hand.

You grimaced, “I should’ve known you would.”

Bucky leaned his cheek into the side of your head. “We share _everything_, doll. You should know by now that that includes you.”

You didn’t think there was anything more damning than those words.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while... I hope you enjoyed! Please let me know your thoughts in the comments, I crave comments more than anything


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